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Table 1 Demographics and vitamin D awareness of subjects

From: Vitamin D status in Saudi school children based on knowledge

Parameters

Boys

Girls

P-value

N

1188

1038

 

Age (years)

15.1 ± 2.2

15.1 ± 2.0

NS

Skin Color

   

Fair

31.4

39.1

< 0.001

Light Brown

60.1

56.4

Dark Brown

7.8

4.4

Black

0.7

0.1

Housing

   

Apartment

33.5

25.2

<0.001

Villa

63.4

69.3

Public House

3.0

5.5

Education

   

Elementary

5.9

2.9

NS

Primary

55.8

54.5

Secondary

38.1

42.3

College/Post-Graduate

0.3

0.3

Do you take vitamin D supplements?

45.7

41.9

NS

Vitamin D Knowledge*

Have you heard about vitamin D sources in school?

45.7

47.9

NS

Have you heard about vitamin D sources in primary care centers?

27.5

32.1

0.018

Does 30 min exposure to sun provide enough calcium?

63.9

57.8

0.002

Does 30 min exposure to sun provide enough vitamin D?

76.5

72.1

0.011

Are vegetables rich in vitamin D?

79.1

70.4

<0.001

Are fruits rich in vitamin D?

84.6

75.3

<0.001

Does breastfeeding contain enough vitamin D?

81.5

71.7

<0.001

Is vitamin D important in calcium absorption?

84.4

83.8

NS

Does vitamin D deficiency lead to rickets in children?

90.9

85.6

< 0.001

Does vitamin D deficiency lead to osteomalacia?

85.3

84.1

NS

Does vitamin D deficiency lead to osteoporosis?

91.4

89.7

NS

What is the recommended dose for vitamin D?

   

40-80 IU

42.0

41.6

0.016

400-800 IU

51.7

55.0

4000-8000 IU

6.4

3.4

Sunlight Exposure

Do you expose yourself to sunlight?

77.5

54.3

<0.001

Frequency of sunlight exposure

   

One to three times daily

55.7

41.2

<0.001

One to two times per week

31.3

33.2

Three to five times per week

13.1

25.6

Time of sunlight exposure

   

Sunrise to 10 am

37.3

38.1

NS

10-am-3 pm

35.6

35.7

After 3 pm

27.2

26.2

Do you expose yourself to sunlight all-year through?

62.9

41.8

<0.001

Do you expose yourself to sunlight on certain seasons?

38.5

45.1

0.001

Are you fully covered during sun exposure?

22.5

28.3

0.001

Do you use sunscreen?

3.0

7.9

0.001

  1. *Percentage of all responses corresponds to “YES”, NS: non-significant.