Abstract
Introduction: Globally, the deficiencies of vitamin D and the existence of high rates of obesity have become real problems for public health. Limited data exist on their relationship with each other among Iraqi women of reproductive age in urban settings. Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the association between serum vitamin D levels and BMI among women living in urban areas of Al-Diwaniyah, Iraq. Methods: The study involved 155 women between the ages of 15-49. All participants completed a questionnaire and all relevant anthropometric measurements were taken. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were also determined. BMI classification was based on WHO standards. We used non-parametric tests and characteristic statistics, Chi-square tests, and correlation of Spearman's rank to compare the results from the sample and test hypotheses. Results: According to our data, 54.1% of the participants fell into either the overweight or obese class founded on body mass index (BMI). The average serum vitamin D level for all subjects was 18.30 ± (Sd=11.11 ng/mL) with 85.8% of the females having a serum level of vitamin D that was considered to be suboptimal. Significant correlation coefficients between BMI and serum levels of vitamin D were found to be inversely related (r = -0.241, p=0.003) but no statistically significant disparities were noted between groups in the analysis of BMI categories. Conclusions: Reproductive-age women living in the Al-Diwaniyah region are becoming increasingly likely to suffer from both vitamin D deficiency and overweight/obesity. These results reveal a critical need for the establishment of effective public health policies that will address issues such as vitamin D screening, nutritional education, and weight management in urban female populations.