Vitamin D status in Saudi school children based on knowledge

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Public Health Nutrition
• Dermatology

Background:

• Rising prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in Saudi Arabia across all age groups.
• Lack of awareness contributes significantly to low vitamin D levels in children.
• Urgent need to assess knowledge and status of vitamin D in Saudi school children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the knowledge and status of vitamin D between Saudi school boys and girls.
• To identify factors influencing vitamin D levels in adolescents.
• To inform public health strategies for vitamin D supplementation and education.

Main Methods:

• Recruitment of 1188 boys and 1038 girls (mean age 15.1 years).
• Administration of a pre-designed questionnaire on vitamin D knowledge.
• Measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels.

Main Results:

• Boys demonstrated significantly better knowledge regarding sun exposure, breastfeeding, and vitamin D-related diseases compared to girls.
• Girls had higher rates of misconceptions about vitamin D sources (fruits and vegetables) and higher sunscreen use/full body covering.
• Vitamin D deficiency was significantly more prevalent in girls (47.0%) than boys (19.4%), with boys having higher vitamin D status.

Conclusions:

• Improving awareness about vitamin D and sunlight is crucial, requiring input from healthcare professionals and educators.
• Creating safe environments for girls to engage in outdoor activities with adequate sun exposure is recommended to improve vitamin D levels.
• Targeted educational interventions are needed to address gender-specific knowledge gaps and practices affecting vitamin D status.