Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Nutrients
Publication Date
12-1-2022
Abstract
Vitamin D insufficiency impacts about half of the population worldwide. Almost one billion individuals across all ages and ethnicities suffer from vitamin D deficiency. Hypovitaminosis D is mainly related to lifestyle choices and habits, such as outdoor activities and food intake. Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between vitamin D status and anxiety symptoms. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between anxiety and factors including age, vitamin D deficiency, citizens, dietary and supplementary vitamin D intake, along with sun exposure, among a sample of female college students in the United Arab Emirates. A descriptive questionnaire, including a short version of the generalized anxiety disorder scale, food frequency questionnaire, and sun avoidance inventory, was used to assess the relationship between the dietary intake of vitamin D-rich foods and supplements, along with sun avoidance/exposure and generalized anxiety, among a total of 386 female participants aged 18 and above. The findings showed clear evidence that sun avoidance behaviors are strongly associated with an elevated risk of generalized anxiety disorder among adult females in the United Arab Emirates.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
MDPI AG
Volume
14
Issue
24
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
Keywords
anxiety, diet, sun exposure, supplements, United Arab Emirates, vitamin D
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Al Anouti, Fatme; Grant, William B.; Thomas, Justin; AlBlooshi, Sharifa; and Karras, Spyridon, "Associations between Dietary Intake of Vitamin D, Sun Exposure, and Generalized Anxiety among College Women" (2022). All Works. 5559.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/5559
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series