The association between Vitamin D level and body mass index in a sample of childbearing age women in Erbil

• Main Authors: Parwez Jameel Hamza, Muhammed Khalid Hasan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2020-01-01
• Series: Medical Journal of Babylon
• Subjects: body mass index; childbearing female; erbil; vitamin d deficiency
• Online Access: http://www.medjbabylon.org/article.asp?issn=1812-156X;year=2020;volume=17;issue=2;spage=165;epage=171;aulast=Hamza

Backgrounds: There is a high prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency worldwide, especially in developing countries, but there is wide variance with regions the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency ranges between 30% and 90%. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency and its association with body mass index (BMI) in a female childbearing sample. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a purposive sample of female patients who were in childbearing age was invited from Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. The information required for the study was collected through the self-reported technique between January 20, 2019, and October 20, 2019. Results: The study showed that 51.0% of the study population was in the 27–37 years of age group. 33% and 16% of the study population were overweight and obese, respectively. Half of them did never physical activity followed by 1–2 and 3–4 times/week, 42%, and 8%, respectively. The study showed that 54.5% and 54% worked indoor and outdoor house for <30 min, 16% for between 30 and 60 min, and 2% for more than 60 min. The population was regularly exposed to the sun (23.5%), the occasionally (34.0%), and scantly (42.5%). The patients had insufficient Vitamin D (44%), followed by deficient 34%, and sufficient (22%). Population with deficient Vitamin D were more likely to be obese (43.8%) compared to overweight (28.8%), normal weight (39%), and underweight (20%), but the overall difference was not significant among BMI groups. Conclusions: The present investigation showed a high prevalence of deficient and insufficient Vitamin D in young childbearing females, especially among overweight and obese individuals.