Influence of Vitamin D Level on Self-Perceived Fatigue, Body Mass Index and Health Related Quality of Life among Female Nurses in Two Governorates

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Medical and Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Modern University for Information and Technology, Egypt

2 Maternity and gynecology Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Modern University for Information and Technology, Egypt.

3 Medical-Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Egypt

Abstract

Context: Vitamin D deficiency has been combined with fatigue, headache, musculoskeletal pain, weakness, as well as depression. Fatigue is a popular complain among nurses due to working on difficult settings, Low serum vitamin D is more prevalent among obese people; increase of BMI which lead to diminish nurses` self-confidence and feeling of failure. Nurses, who feel fatigue, increase BMI could not be good caregivers to the patients. Aim: the study aimed to examine influence of vitamin D level on self-perceived fatigue, Body Mass Index, and health related quality of life among female nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 female nurses working in the main university hospital, Alexandria University and El-Kaser El-Any Obstetric hospital, Cairo University. Four tools were used for data collection.Tool I: a Structured interview questionnaire, to assess socio-demographic characteristics; Tool II: assessment of two parts: Body mass Index calculation and 25-hydroxyvitamin D to determine level of serum vitamin D; tool III: SF-12 to measure general health status and well-being; and tool IV: Fatigue assessment scale was used to assess the perceived fatigue level among female nurses.Results: the highest percent of nurses in both Alexandria and Cairo nurses had insufficiency level of 25-OHD. A statistically significant inverse correlation between vitamin D level and increase BMI, nurses` self-perceived fatigue level was observed while statistically significant direct correlation was found between vitamin D and quality of life.

Conclusion: High prevalence of fatigue, obesity and decrease level quality of life among nurses could be attributed to vitamin D deficiency. Recommendation: study recommended periodic vitamin D check-ups in hospitals and setting of national health policies for screening and prevention of vitamin D deficiency to nurses in Egypt to prevent its complications.

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