title: Vitamin D intake and other risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency in Middle Eastern people living in the UK: a comparison of cultural and ethnic groups.
abstract: A questionnaire was designed to obtain information about factors affecting vitamin D status in Middle Eastern people living in the UK. A total of 242 questionnaires were returned out of 350 distributed. A total of 85% of the sample was estimated to have a low vitamin D intake (< 5 μg/d). Other risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency included covering skin from sunlight (62% men and 84% women); low use of vitamin D containing supplements (18.5%) and being overweight or obese (49% men and 44% women). Vitamin D intake was lowest in the Kurdish ethnic group (2.18 μg/d) and in those with primary (1.83 μg/d) and secondary school (2.14 μg/d) level education compared to higher education (3.0-3.59 μg/d). Vitamin D intake was highest in those aged 40-49 years (4.0 μg/d), those born in the Levant (4.29 μg/d), and in those who were obese (3.60 μg/d).
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Wassan A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Waleed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Al-Murrani
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kuri
authors.forename: Gail A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Rees
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003020:Clothing; D003469:Culture; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East / Q000208:ethnology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012867:Skin; D013472:Sunlight; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014807:Vitamin D