PREVALENCE OF VITAMIN D INSUFFICIENCY AND ITS ASSOCIATED RISK FACTORS AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN SELECTED CLINICS IN MISURATA, LIBYA

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of Vitamin D insufficiency and its associated risk factors
among pregnant women in selected clinics in Misurata, Libya for the month of March 2018. A total of 90 pregnant
women were included in this study. a self-made questionnaire was designed to gather data. The data gathered were
classified, tabulated and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Fifty five percent of the respondents had insufficient
vitamin D (serum concentration 25 (OH) D level ≤ 30 ng/ml ), Most of the respondents are aged 15-25 years old and
are in college level, with fair skin and sometimes exposed to sunlight in the mid-day with less than one hour, sometimes use of sunscreen cream. In terms of dietary information, most of the respondents had regular intake of milk,
omega 3 fish oil, Vitamin D and calcium supplements. Despite the increasing awareness of the importance of vitamin
D in the recent period, and although pregnant women in Misurata hospitals are generally subjected to a course of
supplements, but suboptimal levels of vitamin D is still common