scholarly journals The Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use Among Elementary, Junior High, and High School Students: A Nationwide Survey in Japan

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etsuko Kobayashi ◽  
Chiharu Nishijima ◽  
Yoko Sato ◽  
Keizo Umegaki ◽  
Tsuyoshi Chiba

The prevalence of dietary supplement use, such as vitamins, minerals, or fish oil, has increased among children in Japan; however, whether children are using dietary supplements appropriately remains unclear. This study aimed to determine dietary supplement use among children. In August 2017, a nationwide internet preliminary survey of 265,629 mothers aged from 25 to 59 years old was undertaken. Of these, 19,041 mothers of children attending either elementary school, junior high school, or high school were selected. Among them, 16.4% were currently providing their children with dietary supplements and 5.2% had previously given dietary supplements to their children. The prevalence of dietary supplement use was higher in boys than in girls, and the prevalence increased according to their grade. A total of 2439 participants were eligible to undertake a targeted survey on dietary supplement use. Dietary supplements were being taken to maintain health, supplement nutrients, and enhance growth in both boys and girls, and many children (37.5%) were provided with vitamin and mineral supplements. Mothers mainly obtained information concerning dietary supplements via the internet, and supplements were purchased in drug stores or via the internet. The prevalence of dietary supplement use in mothers was 65.4% and may be associated with the prevalence rates in children. Some mothers reported adverse events (3.6%) in their children, such as stomachache, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and constipation. The cause-and-effect relationships for adverse events were not clear, but some children were given products for adults. Children are more influenced by dietary supplements compared to adults. To prevent adverse events due to inappropriate use, parental education concerning dietary supplements is essential.

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiharu Nishijima ◽  
Etsuko Kobayashi ◽  
Yoko Sato ◽  
Tsuyoshi Chiba

We previously studied the prevalence of dietary supplement use in Japanese high-school students by conducting a study on mothers. However, there is often a discrepancy between mothers’ understanding and children’s attitudes. Thus, we conducted an internet survey of high-school students to clarify their attitudes toward the use of dietary supplements. An invitation to the internet survey was e-mailed to registrants of a research company aged 15 to 18 years. A total of 1031 students (276 male, 755 female) answered the questionnaire on a first come, first served basis. The participants were classified according to the purchasers of their supplements: students who purchased supplements themselves were defined as active users, and others were defined as passive users. The prevalence of dietary supplement use was 30.8% in males and 26.7% in females. Among the users, 42.4% of males and 43.8% of females were active users. Males used supplements for health regardless of active or passive use. However, in females, more active users (40.9%) used supplements for weight loss than passive users (20.4%); the corresponding prevalence was 2.3% in our previous report on mothers’ understanding of their daughters. The most frequently used source of information for active users was the internet, whereas for passive users it was family. The frequency of adverse events was 9.4% in males and 14.4% in females, with gastrointestinal symptoms being the most commonly experienced events. Our results suggest that dietary education, including healthy eating and the appropriate use of dietary supplements, should be provided to high-school students.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etsuko Kobayashi ◽  
Yoko Sato ◽  
Chiharu Nishijima ◽  
Tsuyoshi Chiba

Dietary supplement use is widespread amongst the general population including in children and adolescents. The ingredients in dietary supplements can interact with medicines when patients take them concomitantly. However, the prevalence of the concomitant use of dietary supplements and medicines in Japan among children remains unclear. To clarify this issue, a nationwide internet survey was administered to 55,038 mothers (25 to 60 years old) of preschool- or school-aged children in Japan. Among them, 7.6% currently provide dietary supplements and 3.2% concomitantly provide dietary supplements and prescription or over-the-counter medicines to their children. The prevalence of concomitant use increased with the children’s grade. Among 1057 mothers with 1154 children who were concomitantly using dietary supplements and medicines, 69.1% provided dietary supplements without physician consultation because they considered dietary supplements as only foods and therefore safe. Although the purpose of the use and types of dietary supplement differed between boys and girls, the most popular product was probiotics in both boys and girls. Among concomitant users, 8.3% of mothers gave dietary supplements for treatment of diseases and 4.9% mothers recognized the adverse events of dietary supplements in their child. The findings of this study suggest that mothers’ knowledge about the risk of using dietary supplement with medicines is insufficient. Parental education about the safety of dietary supplements and potential risk of drug–supplement interaction is needed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazue Ishitsuka ◽  
Satoshi Sasaki ◽  
Hidetoshi Mezawa ◽  
Mizuho Konishi ◽  
Maki Igarashi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background A variety of dietary supplements are commercially available. However, the efficacy and safety of dietary supplement use in children are not well established. Understanding dietary supplement use is important for developing public health policy regarding dietary supplements. This study aimed to investigate the types of dietary supplements used and characteristics of dietary supplement users among Japanese elementary school children. Method We conducted a cross-sectional web-based questionnaire study. Dietary supplement use, socio-demographics, and health-related behaviors were assessed through mother-reported questionnaire. Types of dietary supplements were identified based on ingredient using product barcodes and brand names. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the socio-demographics and health-related behaviors associated with supplement use. Results Among 4933 children, 333 (6.8%) were identified as dietary supplement users. The most common supplement was amino acids or protein (1.4%), followed by n–3 fatty acids or fish oil (1.0%), probiotics (1.0%), multivitamins (0.9%), multivitamin-minerals (0.8%), and botanicals (0.8%). Overall, any dietary supplement use was significantly associated with the highest frequency of sports participation (odds ratio [OR], 2.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65–4.02), highest household income (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.13–3.10), highest maternal educational level (OR, 1.82; 95% CI, 1.31–2.52), and male sex (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.09–1.75). The highest frequency of sports participation was significantly associated with higher odds of use of amino acids or protein (OR, 6.06; 95% CI, 1.78–20.6) and multivitamins (OR, 3.56; 95% CI, 1.11–11.5), compared to the lowest frequency of sports participation. Conclusion This study showed that Japanese children primarily use non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements. Non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements should thus be included in future studies aimed at monitoring dietary supplement use. We also found that dietary supplement use in children was associated with sports participation. Guidelines for dietary supplement use for children, in particular sport participants, are needed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1390-1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carin Andrén Aronsson ◽  
Kendra Vehik ◽  
Jimin Yang ◽  
Ulla Uusitalo ◽  
Kristen Hay ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to examine the prevalence and associated factors of dietary supplement use, particularly supplements containing vitamin D and fatty acids, in pregnant women enrolled in a multi-national study.DesignThe Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young (TEDDY) study is a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Maternal dietary supplement use was self-reported through questionnaires at month 3 to 4 postpartum.SettingSix clinical research centres; three in the USA (Colorado, Georgia/Florida and Washington) and three in Europe (Sweden, Finland and Germany).SubjectsMothers (n 7326) to infants screened for high-risk HLA-DQ genotypes of type 1 diabetes.ResultsNinety-two per cent of the 7326 women used one or more types of supplement during pregnancy. Vitamin D supplements were taken by 65 % of the women, with the highest proportion of users in the USA (80·5 %). Overall, 16 % of the women reported taking fatty acid supplements and a growing trend was seen in all countries between 2004 and 2010 (P < 0·0001). The use was more common in Germany (32 %) and the USA (24 %) compared with Finland (8·5 %) and Sweden (7·0 %). Being pregnant with the first child was a strong predictor for any supplement use in all countries. Low maternal age (<25 years), higher education, BMI ≥ 25·0 kg/m2 and smoking during pregnancy were factors associated with supplement use in some but not all countries.ConclusionsThe majority of the women used dietary supplements during pregnancy. The use was associated with sociodemographic and behavioural factors, such as parity, maternal age, education, BMI and maternal smoking.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Schmitz ◽  
Hector L. Lopez ◽  
Douglas Mackay ◽  
Haiuyen Nguyen ◽  
Paula E. Miller

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 847
Author(s):  
Amanda Rodrigues Amorim Adegboye ◽  
Omorogieva Ojo ◽  
Gulshanara Begum

Previous studies have shown that the use of dietary supplements is associated with the prevention of birth defects, negative pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular diseases. However, there might be some ethnic disparities in supplement usage suggesting that women who could benefit from it are not frequent users. This study aimed to characterise the use of dietary supplement among Black African and Black Caribbean women living in the United Kingdom (UK). Furthermore, it evaluated possible associations between the use of dietary supplements and health and diet awareness. A total of 262 women self-ascribed as Black African and Black Caribbean living in the UK completed a comprehensive questionnaire on socio-demographic factors, diet, use of supplements and cultural factors. The main outcome variable was the regular use of any type of dietary supplement. Use of vitamin D and/or calcium was also explored. A stepwise logistic regression analysis was applied to identify predictors of regular use of dietary supplements. A total of 33.2% of women reported regular use of any dietary supplements and 16.8% reported use of vitamin D and/or calcium. There were no significant ethnic differences in the use of dietary supplements. Reporting use of the back of food packaging label (odds ratio (OR) 2.21; 95% CI 1.07–4.55); a self-rated healthy diet (OR 2.86; 95% CI 1.19–6.91) and having cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension and/or high cholesterol (OR 3.81; 95% CI 1.53–9.49) increased the likelihood of using any dietary supplement. However, having poorer awareness decreased the likelihood (OR 0.94; 95% CI 0.88–0.99) of using any dietary supplement. For the use of vitamin D and/or calcium supplements, the main predictor was having CVD, hypertension and/or high cholesterol (OR 4.43; 95% CI 1.90–10.35). The prevalence of dietary supplement use was low among African and Caribbean women. Thus, awareness of potential benefits of some dietary supplements (e.g., vitamin D) among the Black population should be promoted.


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.


2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (12) ◽  
pp. 1993-2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L. F. Kofoed ◽  
Jane Christensen ◽  
Lars O. Dragsted ◽  
Anne Tjønneland ◽  
Nina Roswall

The prevalence of dietary supplement use varies largely among populations, and previous studies have indicated that it is high in the Danish population compared with other European countries. The diversity in supplement use across countries indicates that cultural and environmental factors could influence the use of dietary supplements. Only few studies investigating the use of dietary supplements have been conducted in the Danish population. The present cross-sectional study is based on 54 948 Danes, aged 50–64 years, who completed self-administrated questionnaires on diet, dietary supplements and lifestyle between 1993 and 1997. A health index including smoking, physical activity, alcohol and diet, and a metabolic risk index including waist circumference, urinary glucose and measured hypertension were constructed. Logistic regression was used to investigate these determinants in relation to the intake of dietary supplements. We found that 71 % of the participants were dietary supplement users; female sex, older age groups and higher educated participants were more likely to be users of any dietary supplements. One additional point in the health index was associated with 19, 16 and 9 % higher likelihood of being user of any, more common and less common supplements, respectively. In the metabolic risk index, one additional point was associated with 17 and 16 % lower likelihood of being user of any supplement and more common supplements, respectively. No significant association was found for less common supplement use. In conclusion, those with the healthiest lifestyle were more likely to use dietary supplements. Thus, lifestyle and dietary composition should be considered as confounders on supplement use and health outcomes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 1345-1345
Author(s):  
Barbara J. Boucher

A recent paper published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggested possible reductions in mortality in association with the use of dietary supplements


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynelda Pillay ◽  
Kirthee Pillay

Background: A dietary supplement is a product that aims to add nutritional value to the diet. University students are known to make use of dietary supplements to improve their academic performance, increase energy levels and promote overall general health. Based on assumption, students studying towards a nutrition-related degree may eat healthily and choose not to use dietary supplements. Alternatively, because of their interest in and exposure to nutrition, they may decide to use dietary supplements. However, there is a lack of published studies investigating the prevalence of dietary supplement use and reasons for use among South African university students studying towards a nutrition-related degree.Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the use of dietary supplements by dietetics students.Setting: University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire.Results: Of the 139 participants, 23% (n = 32) used dietary supplements. There was a greater use by female students, those who lived at home and those registered for the Postgraduate Diploma in Dietetics. Reasons for using dietary supplements included the following: to strengthen the immune system (62.5%), to improve energy levels (56.3%) and to enhance physical health (50%). Cost (32.7%; n = 35), an adequate diet (22.4%; n = 24) and not necessary or waste of money (15%; n = 16) were reasons for not using dietary supplements. Most students (84.4%) made use of a multivitamin and mineral supplement.Conclusion: There was a low prevalence of dietary supplement use by UKZN dietetics students, with the high cost of supplements given as the main reason for non-use.


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