Abstract
Objective To understand the application of dietary supplements among adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2MD) in two areas of China. Methods A total of 615 T2MD patients were recruited from three hospitals in Beijing and Shenyang, with convenience sampling for the study using self-reported questionnaires. Data were statistically analyzed. Results Overall 34. 8% of the participants (22.5% in Beijing and 45.5% in Shenyang, respectively) reported ever use of at least one dietary supplement in the past 12 months. The most commonly used supplement was royal jelly ( 16. 1% ), followed by vitamins ( 10. 1% ), calcium (8. 8% ),fish oil (7. 3% ), spirulina (3.9%), and lecithin (2. 3% ). Except that royal jelly was used for complementary treatment for T2MD, most of the other supplements were used for improving their body defense. In addition, more than 20 other health dietary supplements were also used for diabetes-related conditions in 8. 5% of the participants surveyed. The participants' main sources of information about dietary supplements were from mass media or recommendations by relatives and friends. About half of supplements users perceived that the dietary supplements were effective. The application of dietary supplements was associated with gender, educational background, living area,perceived burden of medical cost, stage of diabetes, comorbidity, and body mass index (BMI) of the patients ( all P ＜0. 05). Conclusions Dietary supplements are widely used among T2MD patients in Beijing and Shenyang.The types of these dietary supplements are diverse and lack professional instructions. It is recommended that information on dietary supplements should be included in diabetes education. Key words: Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Dietary supplement; Sample survey
Published Version
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