{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,13]],"date-time":"2026-10-13T16:21:37Z","timestamp":1791908497302,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,9]],"date-time":"2025-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757376000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)","award":["G00004295"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["G00004295"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Vitamin D deficiency is widespread globally, including in the Middle East. In the UAE, vitamin D deficiency contributes to 78% of bone losses because of cultural and lifestyle factors, which limit sun exposure. Although supplementation is effective, increasing rates of self-prescribed use raise concerns about safety and efficacy, particularly among university students. Therefore, this study aims to assess the prevalence, patterns, and predictors of self-prescribed vitamin D supplementation among university students in the United Arab Emirates. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 450 university students aged 18\u201339 who had used vitamin D supplements in the past 12 months. Data were collected using an online questionnaire and analyzed using chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. Results: Among participants, 44.9% reported self-prescribed vitamin D use. Males were more likely to self-prescribe (p = 0.010). Self-prescribers used supplements for shorter durations (p &lt; 0.001) and were more likely to report motivations like physical performance (p = 0.005). Predictors of self-prescription included short-term use (OR = 2.57), non-daily intake (OR = 3.49), use for performance (OR = 2.72), and concurrent vitamin C use (OR = 1.85). Conclusions: Self-prescription of vitamin D is common among university students and associated with irregular use and non-clinical motivations, primarily to improve overall health and wellness. While such practices are unlikely to result in toxicity, they may not adequately address the widespread problem of vitamin D deficiency. These findings suggest the need for clear, locally relevant guidance to promote safe and effective supplementation among young adults.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17182915","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,9]],"date-time":"2025-09-09T19:16:17Z","timestamp":1757445377000},"page":"2915","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Prevalence and Predictors of Self-Prescribed Vitamin D Supplementation Among University Students in the UAE"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Aaesha H.","family":"Alnaqbi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rubina","family":"Sabir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5092-6800","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hafiz M.","family":"Shahbaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2960-8506","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zahra","family":"Khan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutrition and Health Science, School of Science, University of Greenwich, London ME4 4TB, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8469-9581","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mo\u2019ath F.","family":"Bataineh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition and Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Izzo, M., Carrizzo, A., Izzo, C., Cappello, E., Cecere, D., Ciccarelli, M., Iannece, P., Damato, A., Vecchione, C., and Pompeo, F. (2021). Vitamin D: Not just bone metabolism but a key player in cardiovascular diseases. Life, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/life11050452"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15","DOI":"10.1007\/s11657-016-0269-0","article-title":"Vitamin D deficiency: Knowledge and practices among the adult population in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates","volume":"11","author":"Salmanpour","year":"2016","journal-title":"Arch. 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