title: Knowledge, awareness, attitudes and sources of vitamin D deficiency and sufficiency in Saudi children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes regarding vitamin D and its sources among Saudi Arabian children.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred patients (vitamin D-deficient children) and 100 healthy children participated in the study. Participants were interviewed separately on topics including their awareness, knowledge, and attitudes regarding vitamin D using multiple-choice, and short-answer questions. This prospective, cross-sectional study was performed on children and adolescents between January 2011 and December 2011 at the Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 28% were aware of the sources of vitamin D, while 64% of healthy subjects were aware. Similarly, only 50% of patients and their parents knew of the health benefits of vitamin D, while 70% of healthy subjects had knowledge. Hence, our findings agree with previous findings that low levels of awareness and knowledge regarding vitamin D and its sources persist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most vitamin D deficient cases were unaware of vitamin D sources. However, half of the patient/parents were aware of benefits of vitamin D. Hence, we recommend that an improved campaign for awareness, knowledge, and attitudes regarding vitamin D and its sources are needed.
authors.affiliation: Nutrition Department, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail. FatimahMohammedO.Alshamsan@uon.edu.au.
authors.forename: Fatimah M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Alshamsan
authors.forename: Bassam S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Bin-Abbas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology*