Hypovitaminosis d in female medical and para-medical students at king abdulaziz university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

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International Journal of Development Research

Hypovitaminosis d in female medical and para-medical students at king abdulaziz university in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: 

Vitamin D deficiency is a prevalent health problem worldwide. Several factors determine vitamin D status including ethnicity, nutrition, and extent of adiposity. Well-educated medical students are expected to have higher levels of vitamin D than that reported in the general population. The aim of this study was to determine vitamin D status in female medical and paramedical students studying at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 118 female medical and para-medical students were randomly recruited from the college of Medicine and Applied Medical Sciences in a cross-sectional study design. Anthropometric measurements were taken for all participants and a self-administered questionnaire was completed by each student. Fasting blood samples were obtained for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone measurements. Almost 50% of the study group were either overweight or obese. Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent among the study group with 99.2% of students having levels less than <50nmol/L, and 72% with levels less than 25 nmol/L. The combination of limited outdoor activity, excessive heat, conservative clothing, and dark skin may contribute for the reduced cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D. Future studies measuring the vitamin D binding protein and free 25-hydroxyvitamin are required to ascertain that this high prevalence is genuine and not inflated.

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