Sun Exposure Score and Vitamin D Levels in Moroccan Women of Childbearing Age

Sunlight exposure is an essential source of vitamin D for many humans. However, hypovitaminosis D is a global public health problem. This study aimed to develop and validate a sun exposure score (SES) and correlate it with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in women of childbearing age. One hundred an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nutrients 2023-01, Vol.15 (3), p.688
Main Authors: Lhilali, Ilham, Zouine, Noura, Menouni, Aziza, Godderis, Lode, Kestemont, Marie-Paule, El Midaoui, Adil, El Jaafari, Samir, Filali-Zegzouti, Younes
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
25-Hydroxyvitamin D
Age
Architecture
Calciferol
Diabetes
Domains
Exposure
Factor analysis
Female
Humans
Literature reviews
Polycystic ovary syndrome
Public health
Questionnaires
Reliability analysis
Reproducibility of Results
Skin
Sun
sun exposure score
Sunlight
Ultraviolet radiation
Vitamin D
vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology
Vitamin deficiency
Vitamins
Womens health
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Summary:Sunlight exposure is an essential source of vitamin D for many humans. However, hypovitaminosis D is a global public health problem. This study aimed to develop and validate a sun exposure score (SES) and correlate it with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in women of childbearing age. One hundred and sixty women aged 18 to 45 years residing in Meknes, Morocco, were included. A questionnaire estimating the sun exposure score and blood analysis of serum 25-OHD concentration were performed. The questionnaire's reliability and construct validity were evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and factor analysis. Spearman's test was used to assess the correlation between SES and 25-OHD levels. The score's reliability and construct validity were good, with Cronbach's alpha values >0.70 and factorial saturation ranging from 0.696 to 0.948. Serum 25-OHD levels were significantly associated with the total sun exposure score, and all SES domains (Rho was 0.615 ( < 0.0001), 0.307 ( < 0.0001), 0.605 ( < 0.0001), and 0.424 ( < 0.0001) for total SES, indoor exposure domain, outdoor exposure domain, and sun protection practice domain, respectively). In addition, median 25-OHD levels increased significantly when sun exposure was changed from insufficient to sufficient ( < 0.0001). The results suggest that the sun exposure score could be used as a clinical tool to assess vitamin D levels in women of childbearing age.
ISSN:2072-6643
2072-6643
DOI:10.3390/nu15030688