Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is a widespread public health concern, necessitating a clear understanding of knowledge, at

titudes, and practices (KAP) among populations. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess Libyan citizens'

knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) regarding vitamin D in the western region of Libya. This study was carried out

between June and September of 2021. A questionnaire was distributed across the study area and the complete responses

were 314, with 62.7% were females and 37.3% were males. The scores were calculated as percentages and statistically

tested. Additionally, the impact of some socio-demographic factors (age, gender, education level, job, and salary) on

KAP towards vitamin D was investigated. The results revealed that nutritional knowledge of the participants (46.24%)

was much lower than their general knowledge (80.99%), and that the scores of attitude and practice were 74.79% and

60.06%; respectively. Furthermore, socio-demographic factors such as gender, age, education, occupation, and salary

were found to significantly influence practice scores. In conclusion, there's need for targeted public health interventions

and educational campaigns to promote accurate understanding and healthier practices related to vitamin D among

adults in Western Libya.

Keywords: Vitamin D, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, KAP, Socio-demographic influences, Questionnaire

:Abstract

Smoking causes about 6 million deaths annually, increases the risk for many diseases and alters hematological parameters. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the negative impact of cigarette smoking on the hematological parameters of healthy smokers in Libya. A total of 145 smokers and 145 non-smokers, with age range 39-45 years, were recruited. Blood samples were collected from each participant and were analysed for complete blood count. The obtained results were statically analysed using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. The mean for all study variables for smokers (except for MCHC) was greater than that for nonsmokers. The coefficient of variation (CV%) showed that the smokers group was more homogeneous for most variables than the non-smokers group, except for BMI and LYMP. The results of ANOVA test showed that only in the case of MCHC the non-smokers had a significantly higher mean (p < 0.05). For other variables, the smokers had significantly higher means (p < 0.05), except for the RBC, where the mean was non-significantly higher compared to the non-smokers. There was no statistically significant effect for the age variable or for the interaction between smoking and age on all variables. In conclusion, the study revealed that cigarette smoking has a significant impact on most haematological parameters; confirming that smoking has severe adverse effects on most haematological parameters