Abstract
Background:Dietary supplement use received wide attention and interest throughout the world, particularly in Gulf countries, because of advanced economic and industrial growth.Objective:The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of dietary supplement use among medical students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia.Methods:For this cross-sectional study, an anonymous self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed among medical students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. Out of the 381 medical students, 366 answered the questionnaire with a response rate of 96%. Analysis of data was done using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) program, version 24. Statistical significance was considered at P values <0.05.Results:Regarding the prevalence of dietary supplement use, 36.3% (n=133) and 29.5% (n=108) of the respondents were previous and current users of dietary supplements, respectively. Multivitamins and vitamin D were the most prevalent dietary supplements used by the participants. The students reported that the internet was the main source of knowledge concerning dietary supplements. The significant predictors of dietary supplement use in the logistic regression analysis were: age >21 years (odds ratio (OR): 3.26; confidence interval (CI): 1.67-10.53), females sex (odds ratio (OR): 2.23; confidence interval (CI): 2.34-6.84), and being in the third academic year or more (odds ratio (OR): 2.58; confidence interval (CI): 1.82-5.37). The most reported reasons for utilizing dietary supplements were nutritional supplementation and health promotion. Nearly three-quarters of the students agreed that dietary supplementation is good for health and recommended others to use them after doctor recommendation.Conclusion:Dietary supplement use was remarkably high among medical students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia. Consumption of dietary supplements increased significantly among older students, females, and those in the third academic year or more. This study recommends other studies involving students from non-health domain colleges to detect if there is a difference in the prevalence of dietary supplement use within this population.
Highlights
Dietary supplement use was remarkably high among medical students at Jouf University, Saudi Arabia
This study recommends other studies involving students from non-health domain colleges to detect if there is a difference in the prevalence of dietary supplement use within this population
The present study revealed that students in the third academic year or more were 2.6 times more likely to use dietary supplements than students in the first or second academic year (odds ratio (OR): 2.58; confidence interval (CI): 1.82-5.37)
Summary
A study conducted in the US using representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys showed that the prevalence of dietary supplement use was 33.2% among children and adolescents [13]. Dietary supplements are extensively used worldwide, few studies have shown their usage by college students, who tend to be young and highly educated, and may exhibit usage patterns different from those of the general population. The current study was carried out to identify the prevalence and correlates of dietary supplement use among medical students in the Aljouf region, Saudi Arabia. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no study has been carried out on dietary supplement use by college students in the Aljouf region, Saudi Arabia. Dietary supplement use received wide attention and interest throughout the world, in Gulf countries, because of advanced economic and industrial growth
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