To create awareness amongst the masses regarding the functions, sources and symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency, the students of class 5 of Staford School conducted a survey on people living in Rajajipuram Colony by distributing questionnaires and making them aware of the risks involved in being Vitamin D deficit.
Vitamin D plays an essential role in maintaining good health. It has several important functions, including helping to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body and to keep bones and teeth healthy. Without adequate vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle and misshapen. In extreme cases, this can lead to rickets in children. In adults softening of the bones is usually called osteomalacia, and may cause pain and muscle weakness. Vitamin D also has other important roles in the body including regulating cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation.
The best source of vitamin D is sunlight on the skin. The vitamin forms under the skin in reaction to a type of ultraviolet ray called UVB. The best way to obtain Vitamin D is exposing the skin to regular, short periods of sun during the summer months, without sunscreen, which blocks UVB rays. It can also be obtained from sources that include oily fish and eggs. According to the Department of Health, the following people may be at risk of vitamin D deficiency:
• all pregnant and breastfeeding women
• all children aged under five years old
• all people aged 65 or over
• people who are not exposed to much sun.
• people who have darker skin because their bodies are less able to produce as much vitamin D.
The young Stafordians educated the people that symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness can pose health risks. Low blood levels of the vitamin can cause increased risk cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment in older adults, severe asthma in children and even dreadful disease like cancer.
Overall, it was an informative trip intended to be beneficial for both students as well as the people undergoing the survey.