Knowledge regarding vitamin D deficiency among students Shwetha M. N.1,*, Priya P. Nancy Chandra1 1Lecturer, St. Martha's College of Nursing, Nrupathungaroad, Bangalore-560001 2Lecturer, St. Martha's College of Nursing, Nrupathungaroad, Bangalore-560001 *Corresponding Author Email: shwethamn1104@gmail.com
Online published on 15 March, 2019. Abstract Background Vitamin D is one of the major vitamin and very essential for maintenance of normal growth and development of strong bones. It is often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin" because it can be synthesized in the body from the ultraviolet rays provided by the sun. Sunlight is the main and natural source of vitamin D and most foods contain very little amount of it. The main action of vitamin D is to help calcium and phosphorus in our diet to be absorbed from the gut. It is essential to investigate the knowledge regarding vitamin D which plays an important role in establishing healthy behaviors that contribute to the difference in vitamin D status. Aim To assess the knowledge regarding vitamin D deficiency among students in selected college. Method A selfstructured knowledge questionnaire on vitamin D deficiency was developed to collect the data. The project was conducted at St. Martha's college of nursing, Bengaluru among 58 students. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used for selection of samples and the data was analyzed and interpreted by using descriptive and inferential statistics. An information pamphlet was distributed among students. Findings The finding of the study revealed that 41.38% have adequate knowledge, 55.18% have moderate knowledge, and 3.44% have inadequate knowledge regarding vitamin D deficiency. The data analysis regarding association between knowledge score with selected demographic variables revealed that there is no association between knowledge score with selected baseline variables such as age, religion, monthly income, exercise, time spend outdoor, source of information, dietary pattern, use of sunscreen, previous history with vitamin D deficiency. Conclusion It is clear from the results of this study that students have moderate knowledge regarding vitamin D deficiency. It also emphasizes the need for increasing students’ knowledge on vitamin D deficiency to prevent the occurrence of the disease. Top Keywords Vitamin D, Students, Deficiency, knowledge. Top |