Mohammad Dawood

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — King Abdulaziz University Pediatrics College launched a health campaign to promote natural growth of children, while focusing on malnourishment and the vitamin D deficiency among children, on Saturday.



The campaign’s supervisor and Assistant Professor Dr. Abdulmueen Al-Agha said the campaign focuses on raising awareness of the steps of a natural growth in children’s lives.



“The campaign aims to tackle certain recent phenomena in children health in our society.



“More and more children are malnourished which causes four- to 18-year-olds to have stunted height as their growth stops earlier than usual,” said Al-Agha.



He continued mentioning vitamin D deficiency as a very common health problem among children.



“Vitamin D deficiency is a challenging condition for doctors to treat.



“Vitamin D is a macronutrient, which is produced when the skin is exposed to sunrays. It is important for the health of the bones as it processes calcium and it is also an important element of the immunity system.



“It protects the body from many diseases such as cancer and chronic diseases,” said Al-Agha.



He added the campaign is organized in collaboration with several medical colleges, including Ibn Sina Medical College.



The medical students will be available at various shopping centers including Arab Mall, Salam Mall, Aziz Mall, Haifa Mall, Andalus Mall, Herra Mall and Center Point.