Attitudes and Practices of College Students Regarding Dietary Supplement Use

Abstract

A survey was designed to determine college students’ (1) beliefs regarding the safety and effectiveness of dietary supplements and (2) frequency of supplement use. The survey was administered to students enrolled in an introductory nutrition course at a large, mid-Atlantic university. Thirty-seven students completed the survey (a response rate of 88%). The results of the survey showed that the strongest consensus among the students (68%) was that supplements do not facilitate weight loss. The weakest consensus was observed in the belief that supplements are required by law to be proven safe for consumer use. Forty percent of the class (15 students) used dietary supplements at least once per week. This rate of supplement use was similar to other survey studies conducted with college students and the adult population. However, with the rapid expansion of the supplement market during the current decade, the types of supplements used differed from previous survey studies. The most popular supplements used were multivitamin/mineral supplements, vitamin C, Echinacea, and calcium, respectively. Sixty percent of supplement users (nine students) used herbal supplements in conjunction with conventional vitamin and/or mineral supplements. This preliminary study demonstrates areas for further research to measure students’ perceptions as dietary supplement consumers and the rates of conventional and unconventional supplement use. Further studies may also examine the influence of an introductory nutrition course on these variables.