Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use and Associated Factors Among College Students in the United Arab Emirates

Radwan, Hadia; Hasan, Hayder; Ghanem, Lateefa; Alnajjar, Ghadeer; Shabir, Arhum; Alshamsi, Alya; Alketbi, Fatima

doi:10.1007/s10900-019-00700-2

Cited by 21 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Most participants considered supplements as good for health. This occurrence was similar to the findings of Radwan et al [24]. In this study, we observed that students who aged 20 years or more, studied in a non-health college and up to 3 rd year of study, were roughly 2 times more likely to agree while those who had a major illness were 9 times more likely to agree that supplements are good for health.…”

Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Comparatively, the prevalence reported from this venue was low as a study in university students in Riyadh reported a high prevalence of dietary supplements use, i.e., �76.6% [19]. In comparison with literature from regional countries, the prevalence obtained in this study was slightly lower than the prevalence reported among college students from in UAE [24]. It was considerably lower than the figures reported for female pharmacy students in Pakistani universities [2].…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

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

et al. 2021

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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.

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Section: Plos Onesupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 78%

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

et al. 2021

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“…A study in Lebanon showed that more than half of the participants (53%) used dietary supplements [ 2 ]. In Dubai, a study [ 3 ] assessed the utilization rate of health supplements and found a rate of 34.2% [ 4 ]. Similarly, another study in Croatia reported a figure of 30.4% [ 5 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vitamins, minerals, fibers, fatty acids, and amino acids are the main components of supplements [ 3 ]. Dietary supplements can also contain materials that have not been established as vital to life but are promoted as having a useful biological outcome, such as plant pigments or polyphenols [ 4 ]. In the United States and Canada, dietary supplements are regarded as a subgroup of foods and are controlled accordingly.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dietary Supplement Use among Primary Health Care Attendants in Abha City, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

et al. 2021

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Dietary supplements are commercially available manufactured products used as an addition to the normal diet and involve vitamins, minerals, herbs (botanicals), amino acids, and various other products. With the use of a cross-sectional survey, the present paper intended to analyze dietary supplement usage and its health and sociodemographic determinants among attendants of primary health care centers in Abha City, southwestern Saudi Arabia. The sample was selected randomly using the two-stage cluster sampling technique. The study included 438 participants (115 males and 323 females). Their ages ranged from 18 to 59 years, with an average of 36.2 ± 11.7 years. The study showed that 330 people used dietary supplementation, giving a prevalence of 75.3% (95% CI: 71.1–79.2%). The most commonly used supplements were multivitamins (215, 65.2%), specific vitamins (60, 18.2%), and mineral pills (38, 11.5%). Advice from health care workers was the most frequent reason for using dietary supplements (49.4%). The majority (71.2%) reported feeling a better quality of life after using dietary supplements. The most frequent disadvantages of using dietary supplements were constipation and headache (30%) and the most frequent advantage was increasing appetite (59.8%). The people who most frequently recommended the use of supplements were health care workers (190, 57.6%), followed by friends or family members (62, 18.8%), and people on social media (43, 13%). Females had a significantly higher probability of using dietary supplements than males did (Cor = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.21–3.27), and those with a chronic disease had a considerably higher likelihood of using dietary supplements (cOR = 3.48, 95% CI = 2.04–6.06). Age, educational level, and marital status were not significantly related with dietary supplement usage. In conclusion, health care workers should focus on females and persons with chronic diseases in their practice. They should provide them with evidence-based advice regarding the use of dietary supplements. Continued medical education training programs tailored to the needs of health care staff addressing this issue should be provided. New guidelines should be developed to help health professionals to provide their patients with comprehensive care at the primary health care level.

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“…Another Egyptian study illustrated that more than half of the participants of young Egyptian athletes (13-18 years old) use sports drinks (66.9%) and creatine (54.3%) [23]. Similarly, almost half of the DS users in Radwan et al study engaged in regular exercise for three hours daily [24]. Furthermore, non-smoking, as a healthy habit, was more common among DS users, where the majority of DS users in this study were nonsmokers [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Popularity of the Consumption of Dietary Supplements and its Associated Factors among Students in an Egyptian University: A Cross-sectional Study

Hegazy

Sayed

Hasan

et al. 2020

Open Access Maced J Med Sci

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BACKGROUND: Dietary supplements (DS) use has substantially become prevalent worldwide. However, a limited number of studies have addressed the consumption of DS among college students. AIM: The objective of the study was to explore the prevalence of DS use among college students in an Egyptian college, their motives for DS use, and the association with sociodemographic and lifestyle factors. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 (18–25 years) college students at Helwan University. A self-administered questionnaire that included sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, DS use, commonly used types, reasons for use, and sources of information was employed. RESULTS: More than two-thirds of the participants (117 students) have used DS with no difference among sex except for the types and motives for use (p < 0.001). The most used types were amino acids and proteins, multivitamins and minerals, and weight-loss herbals. Male students mainly used amino acids and proteins (54.7%), multivitamins, and minerals (17.2%), for building muscles (50%), gaining more energy (14%), and maintaining good health (14%). Female students consumed multivitamins and minerals (35.8%), weight-loss herbals (28.3%), for health promotion (34%) and weight management (28.3%). The main sources of information were the internet, health-care providers, and coaches. Male users depended primarily on the internet; however, female users received information from health-care providers (p < 0.001). Practicing exercise, non-smoking, and dietary patterns were associated with DS use. CONCLUSION: DS use is remarkably common among college students in Egypt since their freshmen year. The findings highlight an urgent need to raise students’ awareness regarding the appropriate use of DS from reliable sources to control DS use and prevent adverse effects.

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Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use and Associated Factors Among College Students in the United Arab Emirates

Cited by 21 publications

References 12 publications

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

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

Dietary Supplement Use among Primary Health Care Attendants in Abha City, Southwestern Saudi Arabia

Popularity of the Consumption of Dietary Supplements and its Associated Factors among Students in an Egyptian University: A Cross-sectional Study

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