scholarly journals Prevalence, reasons, and determinants of dietary supplements use among undergraduate female students of health and non-health colleges in a Saudi public university

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247295
Author(s):  
Md. Ashraful Islam ◽  
Aseel Fuad Al-karasneh ◽  
Mehwish Rizvi ◽  
Zeb-Un Nisa ◽  
Ahmed Majed Albakheet ◽  
...  

Purpose The aim of this study was to gather data from female students studying in both health and non-health colleges at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University and report the prevalence, reasons, and determinants of dietary supplements use. Methods A month-long cross-sectional study was conducted in health and non-health colleges affiliated to Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Convenient sampling was employed, and the data was gathered through an online survey using the English and Arabic versions of the Dietary Supplement Questionnaire (DSQ). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and Medcalc. The study was approved by an ethics committee. Results Data from 545 participants was collected. The overall prevalence of dietary supplement use was 32.7% (95% CI: 29.06%– 36.51%). The prevalence was 29.77% (95% CI: 25.29%– 34.56%) among students at all health colleges combined and, it was 37.50% (95% CI: 31.36%– 43.96%) among students at all non-health colleges. Most students used a brand product, spent a monthly cost of SAR 286 (USD 76.3) on supplements and agreed that supplements were good for health (N = 392, 71.9%). Students from non-health- colleges agreed that dietary supplements are good for health in greater numbers as compared to non-health college students (p < 0.001). Students aged ≥ 20 years, studying in a non-health college and up to 3rd year of study, were more 2 times more likely to agree that dietary supplements are good for health. Conclusion Supplements were commonly used among female students at this university however, it was quite low as compared to students from other local and regional universities. Prevalence was higher in non-health colleges as compared to health colleges and the most commonly used supplements were brand products and, multivitamins, used for general health and well-being. This highlights the inclination of students towards supplement use.

Author(s):  
Hanmei Liu ◽  
Shiya Zhang ◽  
Hanshuang Zou ◽  
Yuanlin Pan ◽  
Qiping Yang ◽  
...  

Dietary supplement use is increasing globally, especially among children. However, few studies have been conducted to examine dietary supplement use among Chinese children. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of dietary supplement use and the associated factors in primary school students. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four primary schools in Hunan province, China. A total of 706 Chinese parents/caregivers of school children aged 6–12 years old were enrolled. Self-administrated questionnaires were used to collect information about the children’s dietary supplement use, and their socio-demographic characteristics. The prevalence of dietary supplement use in primary school students was 20.4%. Calcium (16.7%), vitamin C (9.2%), and vitamin D (8.5%) were the most commonly used types of dietary supplement. The main reasons for parents/caregivers to purchase dietary supplements for their children were immunity improvement (43.6%), and for growth promotion (36.5%). Some caregivers (26.4%) purchased dietary supplements online, including from dubious or unknown sellers. However, 37.5% of caregivers did not receive formal guidance on supplementation even if they purchased their supplements through formal channels. Parents/caregivers were unclear about the appropriate choices for children’s dietary supplement use. Guidelines and counseling regarding dietary supplements for children may be helpful in public health work.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heoy Teng Lee ◽  
Hong Chuan Loh ◽  
Siti Nur Liyana Ramlee ◽  
Irene Looi

Healthcare workers (HCWs) must be aware of the latest data supporting or refuting the use of oral dietary supplements (ODS) in order to disseminate evidence-based health information and help patients make informed decisions. Nevertheless, there is relatively scant data on the prevalence of dietary supplement use among HCWs, the types of dietary supplements recommended to patients by HCWs, and their reasons for recommending these products, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study examined the prevalence of ODS use among surveyed HCWs, considered the types of ODS used and recommended by those HCWs, identified the reasons given by those HCWs for using or not using ODS, and determined whether those HCWs were recommending or not recommending ODS to their patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study targeted all HCWs working at a district hospital in Malaysia and was conducted via a self-administered online survey. The survey revealed that 67.3% of HCWs did not recommend ODS for patient use during the pandemic, despite 55.3% of HCWs reported personal use of ODS during the pandemic. Type of HCWs (P=0.001), monthly household income (P=0.019), prior ODS use (P<0.001) and recommendation of ODS to patients (P<0.001) were significantly associated with personal ODS use during the pandemic. Vitamin C was the most commonly used (81.3%) and recommended (95.0%) ODS. “To maintain overall health and wellness” was the most common reason for personal ODS use and recommendation to patients (83.3% & 79.2%). Given the increasing rate of ODS use during the pandemic, further research should be done so that evidence-based recommendations can be formulated to ensure patient safety.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 783-790
Author(s):  
Doaa M. Abdel-Salam ◽  
Jumanah M. Alruwaili ◽  
Raghad A. Alshalan ◽  
Taghreed A. Alruwaili ◽  
Shrouq A. Alanazi ◽  
...  

Background: Dietary supplement use received wide attention and interest throughout the world, particularly in Gulf countries, because of advanced economic and industrial growth. Objective: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of dietary supplement use among medical students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, an anonymous self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed among medical students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. Out of the 381 medical students, 366 answered the questionnaire with a response rate of 96%. Analysis of data was done using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program, version 24. Statistical significance was considered at P values <0.05. Results: Regarding the prevalence of dietary supplement use, 36.3% (n=133) and 29.5% (n=108) of the respondents were previous and current users of dietary supplements, respectively. Multivitamins and vitamin D were the most prevalent dietary supplements used by the participants. The students reported that the internet was the main source of knowledge concerning dietary supplements. The significant predictors of dietary supplement use in the logistic regression analysis were: age >21 years (odds ratio (OR): 3.26; confidence interval (CI): 1.67-10.53), females sex (odds ratio (OR): 2.23; confidence interval (CI): 2.34-6.84), and being in the third academic year or more (odds ratio (OR): 2.58; confidence interval (CI): 1.82-5.37). The most reported reasons for utilizing dietary supplements were nutritional supplementation and health promotion. Nearly three-quarters of the students agreed that dietary supplementation is good for health and recommended others to use them after doctor recommendation. Conclusion: Dietary supplement use was remarkably high among medical students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. Consumption of dietary supplements increased significantly among older students, females, and those in the third academic year or more. This study recommends other studies involving students from non-health domain colleges to detect if there is a difference in the prevalence of dietary supplement use within this population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Raihan Sajid ◽  
Lama Quraiba ◽  
Noara Khaled Alhusseini ◽  
Haifa Alsheikh ◽  
Nabel Basha ◽  
...  

In the recent years, dietary supplements use among adults has increased dramatically to maintain good health and prevent diseases. Since some individuals find maintaining a balanced meal a challenge, they use dietary supplements to replace inadequate energy and micro/macro-nutrient intake. The aim of the study is to explore the use of dietary supplements and to assess awareness of its positive/adverse effects among physically active adults and the general population in Saudi Arabia. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey-based study and received 574 responses showing frequencies and types of dietary supplements. The results show that 44.6% of respondents use dietary supplements. The most used dietary supplements were Vitamin C and multivitamins, consumed by 44% of the respondents, Vitamin D (44%), Iron (41%), and Calcium (39%).  Protein sports bars and powder were consumed mainly by gym members, particularly those practicing weight-training exercises. Approximately 4% of respondents reported side-effects secondary to the usage of the dietary supplements. We conclude that the dietary supplement usage is widespread in Saudi Arabia among both gym members and the general public. It is highly recommended to increase awareness measures from official health entities by educating the general population and physically active adults about dietary supplement use and adverse effects to ensure safe practices.


Food Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 116-123
Author(s):  
N. Erzurum Alim ◽  
R.E. Karakaya ◽  
O.P. Turk Fidan

Dietary supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients used as an addition to a normal diet with a nutritional or physiological effect. In this cross-sectional study, it was aimed to determine the factors of dietary supplement use, the related knowledge, and their relationship with supplement use in a faculty of health sciences among university students. This cross-sectional study was carried out with 333 voluntary university students from Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, the Faculty of Health Sciences. A questionnaire form consisting of 5 sections was applied to the students by face-to-face interview method. The most remarked purposes of supplement use were to improve health (44.2%) and boost immunity (22.1%). There was no difference between age, gender, department, coexistent disease, tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption in terms of dietary supplement use (p = 0.611, p = 0.720, p = 0.682, p = 0.062, p = 0.491, and p = 0.658, respectively). No significant difference was observed between physical activity status, the duration of physical activity, dieting status, the source of diet program, daily frequency of main meals and snacks, body mass index (BMI) groups, and the reason for meal skipping among students according to dietary supplement use (p = 0.180, p = 0.205, p = 0.686, p = 0.226, p = 0.533, p = 0.449, p = 0.976, and p = 0.758, respectively). There was not any significant difference between physical activity status, the duration of physical activity, dietary supplement use, dieting status, the frequency of main meals and snacks and BMI in terms of total knowledge score of dietary supplements (p = 0.245, p = 0.713, p = 0.278, p = 0.067, p = 0.466, p = 0.647, and p = 0.851, respectively). Scientific attention should be paid to the use of dietary supplements. Arbitrary approaches can lead to unwanted interactions. Therefore, in order for health and government policies to be established related to dietary supplements, it is essential to determine the factors related to their use.


2021 ◽  
pp. 247412642198922
Author(s):  
Brittany C. Tsou ◽  
T.Y. Alvin Liu ◽  
Jun Kong ◽  
Susan B. Bressler ◽  
J. Fernando Arevalo ◽  
...  

Purpose: This work evaluated the use and type of dietary supplements and home monitoring for nonneovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as the prevalence of genetic testing among patients with AMD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 129 participants older than 50 years who completed self-administered questionnaires regarding usage and type of dietary supplements and home monitoring, as well as the participants’ use of genetic testing for AMD. Results: Of 91 participants with AMD, 83 (91.2%) took vitamins, including 55 (60.4%) who used an Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) or AREDS2 formulation. Of 38 without AMD, 31 (81.6%) took vitamins (difference from participants with AMD = 9.6% [95% CI, 0%-23.2%]), including 2 on an AREDS formulation. Among 82 participants with AMD who were AREDS candidates (intermediate or advanced AMD in 1 or both eyes), 51 (62.2%; 95% CI, 51.7%-72.7%) took an AREDS or AREDS2 formulation, and 31 (37.8%) did not (5 were unsure). Additionally, 50 (61.0%; 95% CI, 50.4%-71.6%) AREDS candidates did some type of home monitoring. Only 1 (1.2%; 95% CI, 0%-3.6%) underwent genetic testing for AMD. Among 9 with AMD who were not AREDS candidates, 4 (44.4%) used an AREDS formulation, 4 (44.4%) did not, and 1 (11.1%) was unsure; only 1 (11.1%) of these 9 performed home monitoring. Conclusions: Despite similar results from past surveys and AREDS2 data supporting supplement use in 2013 and home monitoring in 2014, these findings suggest about one-third of AREDS candidates do not do so, providing further support for improving education regarding appropriate supplement and home monitoring usage. Genetic testing for AMD also appears infrequent.


Author(s):  
Abdulraof Alqrache ◽  
Mostafa Mostafa ◽  
Omar Ghabrah ◽  
Ziyad Ghabrah ◽  
Nezar Kamal ◽  
...  

Oral dietary supplements (DSs) include vitamins, minerals, amino acids, energy drinks, and herbal products. The use of DSs is increasing and their manufacturers promote their benefits. Studies have validated some of these benefits, but have also indicated that some DSs can have adverse effects, especially if used without the appropriate supervision. Little information on DS use among Saudis is available. This study assessed the use of dietary supplements among male and female university students with the goal of educating the community about DSs and the dangers associated with their misuse. Online and paper validated questionnaires were administered to King Abdulaziz University (KAU) students between September 2019 and January 2020. The responses were collected and analyzed statistically. Of the 954 KAU students who completed the survey, one-third used DSs (42.9% women vs 25.7% men). Of these, 51.7% believed that DSs are essential for health, 41.7% classified them as both food and drugs, 67.2% were aware that DSs could not replace a healthy diet, and 25.8% were aware of their potentially harmful effects. Multivitamins and minerals were the most used DSs. DS awareness among KAU students is limited. Additional health education is necessary to assist students in their selection of the most suitable DSs.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 239
Author(s):  
Marios Spanakis ◽  
Maria Melissourgaki ◽  
George Lazopoulos ◽  
Athina E. Patelarou ◽  
Evridiki Patelarou

Background: Drug interactions represent a major issue in clinical settings, especially for critically ill patients such as those with cardiovascular disease (CVD) who require cardiothoracic surgery (CTS) and receive a high number of different medications. Methods: A cross-sectional study aimed at evaluating the exposure and clinical significance of drug–drug (DDIs) and drug–dietary supplement interactions (DDSIs) in patients admitted for CTS in the University Hospital of Crete Greece. DDIs were evaluated regarding underlying pharmacological mechanisms upon admission, preoperation, postoperation, and discharge from CTS clinic. Additionally, upon admission, the use of dietary supplements (DSs) and if patients had informed their treating physician that they were using these were recorded with subsequent analysis of potential DDSIs with prescribed medications. Results: The study employed 76 patients who were admitted for CTS and accepted to participate. Overall, 166 unique DDIs were identified, with 32% of them being related to pharmacokinetic (PK) processes and the rest (68%) were related to possible alterations of pharmacodynamic (PD) action. CVD medications and drugs for central nervous system disorders were the most frequently interacting medications. In total, 12% of the identified DDIs were of serious clinical significance. The frequency of PK-DDIs was higher during admission and discharge, whereas PD-DDIs were mainly recorded during pre- and postoperation periods. Regarding DS usage, 60% of patients were using DSs and perceived them as safe, and the majority had not informed their treating physician of this or sought out medical advice. Analysis of medical records showed 30 potential combinations with prescribed medications that could lead in DDSIs due to modulation of PK or PD processes, and grapefruit juice consumption was involved in 38% of them. Conclusions: An increased burden of DDIs and DDSIs was identified mostly upon admission for patients in CTS clinics in Greece. Healthcare providers, especially prescribing physicians in Greece, should always take into consideration the possibility of DDIs and the likely use of DS products by patients to promote their well-being; this should only be undertaken after receiving medical advice and an evidenced-based evaluation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1577
Author(s):  
Alona Emodi-Perlman ◽  
Ilana Eli ◽  
Nir Uziel ◽  
Joanna Smardz ◽  
Anahat Khehra ◽  
...  

(1) Background: this study aimed to evaluate the worries, anxiety, and depression in the public during the initial coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown in three culturally different groups of internet survey respondents: Middle Eastern (Israel), European (Poland), and North American (Canada). (2) Methods: a cross-sectional online survey was conducted in the mentioned countries during the lockdown periods. The survey included a demographic questionnaire, a questionnaire on personal concerns, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). A total of 2207 people successfully completed the survey. (3) Results: Polish respondents were the most concerned about being infected. Canadian respondents worried the most about their finances, relations with relatives and friends, and both physical and mental health. Polish respondents worried the least about their physical health, and Israeli respondents worried the least about their mental health and relations with relatives and friends. Canadian respondents obtained the highest score in the PHQ-4, while the scores of Israeli respondents were the lowest. (4) Conclusions: various factors should be considered while formulating appropriate solutions in emergency circumstances such as a pandemic. Understanding these factors will aid in the development of strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of stress, social isolation, and uncertainty on the well-being and mental health of culturally different societies.


2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (10) ◽  
pp. 2156-2165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terence J Babwah ◽  
Rohan G Maharaj ◽  
Paula Nunes

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of the present study was to determine the knowledge and practices among Trinidad and Tobago school-attending adolescents towards energy drinks (ED), alcohol combined with energy drinks (AwED), weight-altering supplements (WAS) and vitamin/mineral supplements (VMS) and their experience of adverse effects associated with such use.DesignA cross-sectional, proportionate, stratified sampling strategy was adopted using a self-administered, de novo questionnaire.SettingSecondary schools throughout Trinidad and Tobago.SubjectsStudents aged 15–19 years.ResultsFive hundred and sixty-one students participated, an 84 % response rate; 43·0 % were male, 40·5 % East Indian and 34·1 % mixed race. VMS, ED, WAS and anabolic steroids were used by 52·4 %, 44·0 %, 8·9 % and 1·4 % of students, respectively, with 51·6 % of ED users using AwED. Predictors of use of AwED were males and students who played sport for their school (OR = 1·9; 95 % CI 1·2, 3·2 and OR = 2·6; 95 % CI 1·4, 4·7, respectively). Predictors of ED use were males and attendees of government secondary schools (OR = 1·7; 95 % CI 1·1, 2·4 and OR = 1·7; 95 % CI 1·2, 2·4, respectively). Side-effects, mainly palpitations, headaches and sleep disturbances, were reported in 20·7 % of dietary supplement users.ConclusionsMany adolescent students in Trinidad and Tobago use dietary supplements, including ED and AwED, and about one-fifth of users experience side-effects. Identification of students at risk for ED, AwED and WAS use and education of students about the dangers of using dietary supplements need to be instituted to prevent potential adverse events.


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