Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep 1;18(1):378.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-025-07439-1.

Exploring perceptions of vitamin D deficiency and cultural influences in people from minority ethnic groups aged 60 + in East London: a qualitative study

Charlotte Zheng  1 , Ashlee Teakle  2 , Rashpal Gill  2 , Oyinlola Oyebode  3
Affiliations

Exploring perceptions of vitamin D deficiency and cultural influences in people from minority ethnic groups aged 60 + in East London: a qualitative study

Charlotte Zheng et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: To explore the perceptions and attitudes of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and cultural influences in people from minority ethnic groups aged 60 + in East London through thematic analysis of qualitative semi-structured interviews.

Results: Nine participants were interviewed (7 in-person, 2 by phone). Participants were recruited by purposive and snowball sampling through East London organisations, local council authorities and website email contacts. A total of 4 themes were generated: vitamin D knowledge, sources of knowledge, barriers to vitamin D intake, and solutions to improve vitamin D intake. Solutions included 2 sub-themes: food fortification and supplementation, and education - further divided into (i) community and (ii) women as targets for education. There was some knowledge of vitamin D, however this was limited as few could name dietary sources of vitamin D. Barriers included cost of supplementation, accessibility to sunshine, and cultural factors (e.g. dietary behaviour, perceptions of sun exposure). Attitudes towards vitamin D supplementation were largely positive, whereas food fortification was more polarising. Targeted education was a suggested key solution, particularly within the community and amongst women - identified as a central figure in most families. Policy makers should engage communities and develop approaches that reflect the needs and characteristics of the population.

Keywords: East London; Ethnic minorities; Qualitative study; Vitamin d deficiency.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was granted by Queen Mary University of London Ethics Committee: (Reference Number: GHDE_2324_13). Informed and written (signed) consent was provided by all participants included in the study. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Illustrative diagram of summary of themes and explanation. VD = vitamin D
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cashman KD, Vitamin D, Deficiency. Defining, prevalence, causes, and strategies of addressing. Calcif Tissue Int. 2020;106(1):14–29. - PubMed
    1. Lowe NM, Bhojani I. Special considerations for vitamin D in the South Asian population in the UK. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2017;9(6):137–44. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Holick MF. The vitamin D deficiency pandemic and consequences for nonskeletal health: mechanisms of action. Mol Aspects Med. 2008;29(6):361–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Artaza-Artabe I, Saez-Lopez P, Sanchez-Hernandez N, Fernandez-Gutierrez N, Malafarina V. The relationship between nutrition and frailty: effects of protein intake, nutritional supplementation, vitamin D and exercise on muscle metabolism in the elderly. A systematic review. Maturitas. 2016;93:89–99. - PubMed
    1. Mendes MM, Charlton K, Thakur S, Ribeiro H, Lanham-New SA. Future perspectives in addressing the global issue of vitamin D deficiency. Proc Nutr Soc. 2020;79(2):246–51. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources