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Article
Emirati Adults Have a Higher Overall Knowledge on Vitamin D Compared to Tourists
Frontiers in Psychology
  • Ahlam Saleh, Zayed University
  • Jawaher Saeed Alhadhrami, Zayed University
  • Maei Saeed Al Ramahi, Zayed University
  • Halima Ali Albloushi, Zayed University
  • Rafiq Hijazi, Zayed University
  • Myriam Abboud, Zayed University
  • Dimitrios Papandreou, Zayed University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-3-2020
Abstract

© Copyright © 2020 Saleh, Alhadhrami, Al Ramahi, Albloushi, Hijazi, Abboud and Papandreou. Objectives: In the last decade, vitamin D deficiency has become a major global issue. One of the main functions of vitamin D is the proper absorption of calcium in the gastrointestinal track. Optimal vitamin D levels are mandatory for adequate calcium absorption and bone health. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of knowledge of vitamin D, calcium, and physical activity among Emirati and tourist adults in Abu Dhabi. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that took place in three different malls in Abu Dhabi and included Emirati and tourist adults. Participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire consisting of 32 questions. These included questions on vitamin D, calcium, supplement, and physical activity knowledge. Another section of the questionnaire included general information on age, sex, education, weight, and height. The collected data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics using IBM SPSS statistics for Windows version 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, United States). Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: Out of 147 adults, 113 were females and 34 males. The mean age, height, and weight were 27.9 ± 8.6 years, 162.7 ± 10.4 cm, and 66.5 ± 19.5 kg, respectively. Emiratis had statistically significant higher basic knowledge on vitamin D compared to tourists (44.9 vs 27.1%), respectively. More than 66% of the whole sample was aware that vitamin D deficiency can affect muscle strength, as well as that calcium may affect osteoporosis. In a multiple regression model to analyze the possible effects of other factors to knowledge, it was found that only age (Beta: 0.045, P < 0.014) and nationality (Beta: 0.750, P < 0.018) were independently and significantly associated to vitamin D. Conclusion: Emirati participants showed a higher overall vitamin D knowledge than their tourist counterparts. Both groups had low/medium level of knowledge when it comes to physical activity and calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Disciplines
Keywords
  • calcium,
  • Emiratis,
  • knowledge,
  • nutrition,
  • physical activity,
  • tourists,
  • vitamin D
Scopus ID
85086785140
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
Yes
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series
Citation Information
Ahlam Saleh, Jawaher Saeed Alhadhrami, Maei Saeed Al Ramahi, Halima Ali Albloushi, et al.. "Emirati Adults Have a Higher Overall Knowledge on Vitamin D Compared to Tourists" Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 11 (2020) p. 1022 ISSN: <a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/1664-1078" target="_blank">1664-1078</a>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/myriam-abboud/10/