Use of vitamin and mineral supplements and related variables among university students in Seoul

Abstract

Purpose: Despite the popularity of dietary supplements, little data are available on their use by university students. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of vitamin mineral supplements and to identify factors related to supplement use among university students. Methods: University students (N = 345) in Seoul were surveyed. Survey questions included descriptive demographics, types of vitamin and mineral supplements used, health related lifestyle factors, mini dietary assessment, and knowledge and behaviors related to supplement use. Results: Of university students surveyed, 41% consumed vitamin and mineral supplements. Among the supplement users, multivitamins were the most commonly used dietary supplements (68.6%), followed by vitamin C (31.4%) and calcium (17.1%). In particular, the use of vitamin C and iron supplements was more common in females than males (p < 0.05). For the number of supplements taken daily, 32.1% of supplement users consumed 2 or more supplements; 20% of supplement users had almost no knowledge of the supplements being taken. Based on the results of multivariable logistic regression analysis, supplement use was associated with higher interest in their own health, non-smoker, and supplement use by family (p < 0.05). In addition, supplement use was slightly associated with healthy dietary behavior such as consuming a variety of foods (p = 0.05) and current disease status (p = 0.05). Conclusion: University students with relatively healthy lifestyles appear to take vitamin and mineral supplements, but they had little knowledge of the supplements. Given high prevalence of dietary supplement use among university students, nutrition education regarding supplement use is needed. Self-rated health status, N (%) 자료처리 및 분석

The Association Between Health Conditions, Consciousness, Involvement, and Knowledge and Dietary Supplement Intake among University Students in South Korea

“…This study found that more than half of respondents have taken DSs, and out of these groups, almost half were taking the aforementioned supplements during the course of the research. This result is similar to the outcome of the KNHANES, which indicated that about 42% of Korean adults have taken a DS at least once in their life [5]. Interestingly, the most important driver of DS consumption is recommendation from family members.…”

“…In the Korean context, about 42% of adults have taken a DS at least once in their lifetime, as indicated in the results of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2015 (KNHANES) [4]. The market for DSs has rapidly increased since 2009, reaching a size of US$1792 million in 2013 [5]. Vitamin or mineral products are the most frequently consumed supplements in the country [6].…”

“…Patterns of DS consumption showed that about two-thirds of surveyed college students regularly use these products in U.S. [13]. College students in particular take DSs in order to relieve stress and enhance their health as a result of self-decision making and unbalanced dietary habits [5]. However, dependency on DSs may build unhelpful dietary habits for the rest of their lives [5].…”

“…College students in particular take DSs in order to relieve stress and enhance their health as a result of self-decision making and unbalanced dietary habits [5]. However, dependency on DSs may build unhelpful dietary habits for the rest of their lives [5]. In Korea, 36.1% of individuals aged 19 to 29 years consume DSs—a proportion less than that accounted for by other age groups but more than that of people aged 10 to 18 years in 2015 [4].…”

Dietary Supplements Use and Related Factors of Preschoolers in 3 Korean Cities

“…The cases of adding raw materials with efficient functions on the human body and insufficient nutrients as the social interest in the health and well-being increases [1] and the dependency on the dietary supplement has grown for the health of family members due to inflating worries about the health from increasing number of dual incomes and Westernized diet [2]. In addition, the interest in the children health grows due to social changes including increasing income of parents, growing academic achievement among parents and lowering birth rates, shifting the trend in purchasing functional products for adults to those for children and adolescents [3].…”