Statement: Cases of vitamin D deficiency have risen in urban schoolchildren. Which is the most likely cause?

  • A. An increase in indoor screen time and reduced outdoor play
  • B. An increase in the number of schools in the city
  • C. A fall in the price of milk
  • D. An increase in the school year length

Explanation

Vitamin D is synthesised in skin exposed to sunlight, so less time outdoors is a direct and plausible mechanism for the deficiency. Cause and effect items are answered by asking which option supplies a mechanism, not merely which one happened at the same time. Cheaper milk would, if anything, improve intake rather than reduce it.

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