Vitamin D status and its determinants among young unmarried adult females in Northeast India: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Context: Undiagnosed Vitamin D deficiency is a widely prevalent problem in the Indian subcontinent. The prevalence and severity of Vitamin D deficiency are more commonly revealed among Indian females compared to males. Subjects and Methods: The study subjects comprised 198 female students of a nursing college located in Northeast India who were attending the gynecology outpatient department of a tertiary care center. Study participants were invited to respond to online queries related to Vitamin D deficiency and associated sociocultural practices. Among them, 126 students who had volunteered, 25 OH Vitamin D total levels were estimated by enzyme-linked fluorescent assay method along with linked blood parameters. Results: In this cross-sectional study, among the 198 study subjects attending outpatient services, 75.3% reported less than an hour daily exposure to the sun though 93.4% had awareness that sunlight exposure is the best natural resource of Vitamin D. All eight participants who did not have the proper knowledge of Vitamin D source were detected to be deficient. Our study showed that out of studied 126 students, half of them had severe Vitamin D deficiency (<8.1 ng/ml) and 45.2% demonstrated Vitamin D level <20 ng/ml (deficient). About 3.2%, i.e., four females, divulged Vitamin D level of 20–29 ng/ml (insufficient). Conclusions: Our study revealed relevant knowledge, belief, and sociocultural practices related to Vitamin D deficiency among young adult females of Northeast India. Contrary to previous studies, the findings also highlighted the alarmingly high prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in the studied population.

Keywords

• northeast india
• vitamin d
• young adult female