The Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Students of Faculty of Engineering and Technical Sciences in Brack Al-Shatti

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is one of the major health problems facing the world. Different factors could play significant roles regarding its metabolism, such as environmental and dietary factors. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to determine vitamin D status among healthy volunteers studying at faculty of Engineering and Technology, Sebha University, and to investigate its relationship with nutritional and environmental factors. Seventy-one healthy students aged between 18-26 years participated in this study and each one of them asked to fill the questionnaire. The vitamin D level was measured, and their weight and height were taken and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. The mean value of vitamin D concentration for participants was 15.9±7.51 ng/ml. The results reflect that 38.02% of the participants had deficiency of vitamin D, while only 5.64% of the volunteers had normal vitamin D levels. Insufficient vitamin D levels were observed in 56.34% of volunteers. In conclusion, vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are highly prevalent among healthy students studying at faculty of Engineering and Technology. The factors which may be playing an important role in effecting the vitamin D status were low dietary intake and the limitation of sunlight exposure.