Evaluation of Self-Assessed State of Health and Vitamin D Knowledge in Emirati and International Female Students in United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Abstract

Introduction: Globally, vitamin D deficiency is one of the most common deficiencies, affecting nearly half the world's population. The objective of this survey was to assess and compare the knowledge about vitamin D and the perceived state of health in Emirati and international tourist female students in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that took place in universities in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. This survey consisted of 17 multiple choice questions and was adapted from a study recently conducted in Poland. The first part of the survey assessed levels of supplementation, diet and UV exposure. Another section evaluated the participants' self-assessed state of health in terms of vitamin D testing, symptoms related to vitamin D deficiency and general welbeing. The collected data were statistically analyzed using SPSS statistics for windows version 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: 105 respondents were Emiratis and 65 were international students. The average age was 21, with an average BMI 23.3 kg/m 2. Almost one-third of each group reported using Vitamin D supplements once weekly. The vast majority of both groups reported rarely getting tanned. Almost all participants in both groups reported regular consumption of Vitamin D rich foods. In both groups, more than half reported consuming milk and cheese regularly and up to one-third reported consuming fish in a regular manner. Although more than half of the students rated their health as good; more than two-thirds reported experiencing muscle pain; only half reported having their blood Vitamin D levels measured once; half reported experiencing problems with concentration and more than three-quarters reported experiencing bad mood in the past month. The prevalence of these symptoms was almost similar across different categories of vitamin D supplementation, tanning habits, dietary intake, or nationality. No statistically significant differences were noted between the Emirati and International tourist students regarding any of the studied variables.

Knowledge about Vitamin D among Women in the United Arab Emirates

“…Many answered incorrectly regarding factors that impacted vitamin D synthesis such as latitude, season, time of day, sunscreen application, and skin pigmentation. Inaccurate nutrition knowledge was re-markable regarding red meat as only 13% indicated the right answer about red meat as a source of Vitamin D. In line with our study, several quantitative and qualitative studies at the international, national, and local levels showed a lack of knowledge about vitamin D dietary sources, health benefits, complications related to vitamin D deficiency, and updated vitamin D recommendations [20,32,33,37,[39][40][41]. This points to the need for better targeted educational interventions.…”

“…Those who reported previous testing for their vitamin D levels accounted for 77% of the total participants. This is unlike other studies conducted in the UAE that found vitamin D testing to be uncommon among their participants [15,22,37]. Moreover, 77% of participants were taking supplements.…”

“…Moreover, when asked about the exact recommended daily amount of vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy, only 12% of the participants answered correctly. Likewise, other studies found a lack of awareness about vitamin D recommendations among their study samples [32,36,37]. This suggests that women in the UAE may be less likely to maintain adequate vitamin D status due to a lack of knowledge of the recommendations.…”

“…Moreover, 77% of participants were taking supplements. Unlike a study performed in the UAE on female undergraduate students where less than half of the sample were supplementing [37].…”

Evaluation of the knowledge regarding vitamin D, and sunscreen use of female adolescents in Iran

“…In a recent investigation among young student (aged 18–25 years) in Pakistan, only 9% of individuals were able to identify the correct food sources of Vit D, 33% were aware of the bone health advantages of Vit D and 36% knew that sunlight exposure was a major factor affecting Vit D synthesis in body [ 40 ]. Also, knowledge about Vit D, its sources and health benefits was very limited (28.8%) in Emirati and International tourist students in Dubai [ 41 ].…”