Assessment level of awareness of Vitamin D deficiency among the public residents of Al-Baha region; Saudi Arabia

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is a common problem worldwide. One of the main reasons for the spread of this nutritional disorder is the lack of knowledge and understanding of the importance of vitamin D and its role in health and disease. Objectives: To assess the awareness and knowledge of vitamin D among the population of Al-Baha Region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Data for this cross-sectional study were acquired using a structured electronic survey translated to Arabic that covered the sociodemographic profile and several awareness domains (knowledge, benefits, sources, and toxicity), using answers from participants over 18 years. This online survey was conducted for three months from December 2020 to obtain 410 total valid answers. Results: The study showed that 49.1% of females (opposed to 36.3% males) had a diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency; 69.8% believed rickets was treatable with vitamin D, while 60.7% agreed that vitamin D was essential for maintaining calcium and phosphate homeostasis. Moreover, 79% agreed that vitamin D was crucial for bone and teeth. 72% agreed that vitamin D enhanced immunity, 91.2% believed that sunlight exposure promoted vitamin D production, while only 13% of participants agreed that vitamin D content was higher in meat than in vegetables and fruits. 29.5% agreed that exposure to sunlight did not lead to vitamin D toxicity, while 11.5% agreed that people with darker skin were prone to vitamin D deficiency. Conclusion: Public awareness of vitamin D and its deficiency is low, particularly in the sources domain. Therefore, educational campaigns are needed to improve knowledge levels.