Determining Levels Awareness of Vitamin D as a Silent Epidemic among the Population in Southern Saudi Arabia

Vitamin D (VD) is an important nutrient for the human body because it is associated with many diseases. There were many health problems in which vitamin D deficiency had a role, the most important of which are rickets in infants and cardiovascular diseases, especially in areas where there is less awareness of the risks of vitamin D deficiency. Unfortunately, there is very little research on this topic in Saudi Arabia. Vitamin D deficiency and awareness of the importance of vitamin D among the population has not been investigated and evaluated at a level that could make the importance of vitamin D and the effects of its deficiency on health a clear phenomenon for everyone and they are aware of it. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess and identify the participants' awareness of the VD importance and the risks of its deficiency on general health of the population in the Jazan region. The results showed that 90% of the participants have awareness and knowledge of the VD importance, 67% do not know whether they suffer from a deficiency or not, 74% reported that VD deficiency causes osteoporosis, 52% reported that the reason for the high level of VD in the body is the intake of nutritional supplements, and 68% reported that increasing its level in the body leads to toxicity and excessive increase. This study concluded that VD deficiency is considered a silent epidemic and a major health problem for the residents of southern region in particular, and the rest of cities of Saudi Arabia in general.