Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional study
Background Vitamin D deficiency, a circulating level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D <30 nmol/L, has become an emerging public health issue in recent years. Despite being a sun-rich country, vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Oman (87.5%).Aim This study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and pr...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2024-04-01
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| Series: | BMJ Public Health |
| Online Access: | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000539.full |
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| author | Rahma Said Al Hadhrami Rehab Al Kaabi Hajer Juma Al Shuaibi Rawan Salim Al Abdulsalam |
| author_facet | Rahma Said Al Hadhrami Rehab Al Kaabi Hajer Juma Al Shuaibi Rawan Salim Al Abdulsalam |
| author_sort | Rahma Said Al Hadhrami |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Vitamin D deficiency, a circulating level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D <30 nmol/L, has become an emerging public health issue in recent years. Despite being a sun-rich country, vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Oman (87.5%).Aim This study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding vitamin D among university students in Oman to assess the need for additional awareness campaigns.Methods and sitting This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2022 and involved 399 students enrolled in various degree programmes at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Muscat, Oman, using self-administered, 38-item vitamin D-related KAP (D-KAP-38) questionnaire to collect information regarding the participants’ vitamin D-related general knowledge, nutritional knowledge, attitudes and practices.Results Of the 399 college students, 384 (96.2%) were Omani nationals, 283 (70.9%) were women and 255 (64.1%) were between the ages of 20 and 26 years. Overall, the participants demonstrated moderate general knowledge (mean D-KAP-38 score: 77.3), poor nutritional knowledge (mean D-KAP-38 score: 45.1), moderate attitudes (mean D-KAP-38 score: 64.4) and average practices (mean D-KAP-38 score: 60.0). In general, female students demonstrated greater general knowledge (p=0.004) and more positive attitudes (p=0.007) compared with males; however, males more frequently reported better practices (p<0.001). In addition, participants who lived off-campus reported better practices compared with those living on-campus (p<0.001).Conclusions University students in Oman demonstrated moderate vitamin D-related general knowledge, attitudes and practices, while nutritional knowledge was poor. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-edc74df7d1ae481486ef5db124ee7528 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2753-4294 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-edc74df7d1ae481486ef5db124ee75282025-01-29T02:10:09ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Public Health2753-42942024-04-012110.1136/bmjph-2023-000539Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional studyRahma Said Al Hadhrami0Rehab Al Kaabi1Hajer Juma Al Shuaibi2Rawan Salim Al Abdulsalam3Family Medicine and Public Health, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, OmanCollege of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, OmanFamily Medicine Program, Oman Medical Speciality Board, Muscat, OmanFamily Medicine Program, Oman Medical Speciality Board, Muscat, OmanBackground Vitamin D deficiency, a circulating level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D <30 nmol/L, has become an emerging public health issue in recent years. Despite being a sun-rich country, vitamin D deficiency is widespread in Oman (87.5%).Aim This study aimed to evaluate knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding vitamin D among university students in Oman to assess the need for additional awareness campaigns.Methods and sitting This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2022 and involved 399 students enrolled in various degree programmes at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Muscat, Oman, using self-administered, 38-item vitamin D-related KAP (D-KAP-38) questionnaire to collect information regarding the participants’ vitamin D-related general knowledge, nutritional knowledge, attitudes and practices.Results Of the 399 college students, 384 (96.2%) were Omani nationals, 283 (70.9%) were women and 255 (64.1%) were between the ages of 20 and 26 years. Overall, the participants demonstrated moderate general knowledge (mean D-KAP-38 score: 77.3), poor nutritional knowledge (mean D-KAP-38 score: 45.1), moderate attitudes (mean D-KAP-38 score: 64.4) and average practices (mean D-KAP-38 score: 60.0). In general, female students demonstrated greater general knowledge (p=0.004) and more positive attitudes (p=0.007) compared with males; however, males more frequently reported better practices (p<0.001). In addition, participants who lived off-campus reported better practices compared with those living on-campus (p<0.001).Conclusions University students in Oman demonstrated moderate vitamin D-related general knowledge, attitudes and practices, while nutritional knowledge was poor.https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000539.full |
| spellingShingle | Rahma Said Al Hadhrami Rehab Al Kaabi Hajer Juma Al Shuaibi Rawan Salim Al Abdulsalam Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional study BMJ Public Health |
| title | Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full | Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional study |
| title_fullStr | Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional study |
| title_short | Assessment of vitamin D-related knowledge, attitudes and practices among Sultan Qaboos University students in Oman: a cross-sectional study |
| title_sort | assessment of vitamin d related knowledge attitudes and practices among sultan qaboos university students in oman a cross sectional study |
| url | https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000539.full |
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