Vitamin D deficiency in Pakistani population: critical overview from 2008 to 2018

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to access the present situation of the Pakistani population that suffers from vitamin D deficiency. Design/methodology/approach A review-based study was conducted based on publications from Pakistan between the years 2008 and 2018. The publications were archived from Pub Med and Google Scholar databases. A total of 18 publications were shortlisted, based on the cutoff values of vitamin D sufficiency, insufficiency and deficiency. Findings As per the data, 38.5 per cent of the participants were males, 48.7 per cent were females and 12.8 per cent of the studies have not mentioned the genders of the participants. The cumulative results show that 58.17 per cent (95 per cent CI: 52.17, 64.16) of the population is vitamin D-deficient and 26.65 per cent (95 per cent CI: 21.63, 31.66) is insufficient in vitamin D. The highest level of vitamin D deficiency was reported from Sindh (62.15 per cent), followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (60.57 per cent), Punjab (51.75 per cent) and the Federal Capital (49.25 per cent). Moreover, Cochran’s Q test indicated considerable heterogeneity (p = >0.001) with regard to Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) prevalence found among samples from the selected studies. Originality/value The present analysis suggests that more than half of the Pakistani population suffers from VDD, which, thus, should be considered as an epidemic and treated likewise.

Association Between Vitamin D and Resistin in Postmenopausal Females With Altered Bone Health

“…With vitamin D deficiency, the risk of osteoporotic fracture is increased ( 18 ). In the current study, we found that around half of our postmenopausal females had either insufficient or had deficient levels of vitamin D. Several other studies in Pakistan found that most postmenopausal females were deficient in vitamin D levels ( 4 , 19 , 20 ). In Pakistan, there is plenty of sunlight throughout the year that is a prerequisite for synthesizing vitamin D in the skin.…”

Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practice towards Vitamin D among university students in Pakistan

“…Fifty-two percent of participants in our study were not taking any supplements, but among those who reported taking them, females were the more likely users of supplements. This finding may be indicative of prevalent discussions in mainstream media channels that particularly target young women to have adequate vitamin D in early 20s and encourage use of supplements [24,40]. We recommend extension of these discussions to the general population including the other population groups of the society.…”

“…Our study is one of the very few which aim at understanding at knowledge, attitudes and practices towards vitamin D among healthy university students in Pakistan, a country marked by very high deficiency of vitamin D across the entire population [24]. Despite this cohort being university students and having access to the internet and health information, knowledge about vitamin D was quite poor.…”

“…These national public health messages should be relayed across various platforms (i.e., social media, health centres, universities, schools), especially through the media, to increase awareness among all sub-groups of the population [31]. Further it is important to recognise awareness regarding the causes and prevention of vitamin D deficiency as an avenue to be explored by the public health offices, which should begin by conducting conclusive studies to determine general public knowledge regarding this pertinent issue [24]. Food Fortification Programme (FFP) in Pakistan is exploring the food fortification of staple foods like milk, vegetable oil and wheat with vitamin D [32,33].…”

“…Researchers are calling for public health strategies including supplementation to address high levels of vitamin D deficiency [18,24]. A recent international report into vitamin D deficiency in the developing world recommended improvement in awareness about vitamin D and its impact of health outcomes among adult population.…”