Sun exposure and Vitamin D in rural India: A cross-sectional study

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ijph2018v62n3p175.pdf (1.76 MB)
Date
2018-09
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Indian Public Health Association
Abstract
Background: Vitamin D deficiency/Vitamin D Insufficiency (VDI) is now recognized as a pandemic. Cutaneous exposure to ultraviolet-B causes photolysis of epidermal 7-dehydrocholesterol, converting it to pre-Vitamin D3 (precholecalciferol), which then undergoes isomerization to form the stable hormone Vitamin D3. Objectives: The objectives of the study is to determine the status of Vitamin D level among the adults residing in a rural area of West Bengal and to find out the optimal cutoff of the sun exposure for Vitamin D sufficiency. Methods: This study was a rural community based cross-sectional study. It was done from May 2016 to April 2017 among 197 adults residing in a rural block of West Bengal. Data were collected by interviewing the respondents with the help of a structured pre-tested pre-designed schedule. After interviewing, every individual was examined for height and weight and blood was collected for serum Vitamin 25-(OH) D. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were utilized to find out optimum cut-off for sun exposure using Youden's index. Binary logistic regression was performed to find out the associates of high sun exposure. All analysis was done using R. Results: Overall VDI was found in 133 (67.5%). Among them, 102 (51.8%) were female. On ROC curve for veritable sun exposure for Vitamin D sufficiency, area under curve was 0.7841 which signifies veritable sun exposure as a good screening tool. Conclusion: Proper information, education, and communication material regarding various aspects of sun exposure and Vitamin D should be prepared with due consultation of field experts and disseminated to increase awareness among the community.
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Keywords
Receiver operating characteristic curves, sun exposure, Vitamin 25-(OH)D
Citation
Garg S, Dasgupta A, Maharana SP, Paul B, Bandyopadhyay L, Bhattacharya A. Sun exposure and Vitamin D in rural India: A cross-sectional study. Indian Journal of Public Health. 2018 Sep; 62(3): 175-181
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https://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/198072
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Indian Journal of Public Health