KNOWLEDGE OF NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS OF PESHAWAR, KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To find out the knowledge of students, and the frequency and reasons behind nutritional supplement use among university students of Peshawar MATERIALS AND METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a convenient sampling method. Data was collected from September 2022 to February 2023. The sample size was approximately 383, determined using the WHO sample size calculator, and a prevalence of 50%. Students aged 18-25 years were included in the study. RESULTS Results showed that among university students, 58.5% use dietary supplements. 41.17% of males and 70% of females were found using dietary supplements, with a higher prevalence among females. The reasons for using dietary supplements varied, with 34.46% using them to improve diet, 19.84% to treat medical conditions, 20.89% to enhance the immune system, and 7.89% for weight management. Additionally, some students believed that dietary supplements were essential for their health (71.28%), while others did not consider them essential (18.02%). The majority of participants agreed that these supplements have beneficial effects, such as improving cognitive ability, preventing illnesses, aiding in recovery, enhancing athletic performance, promoting skin and hair health, building muscle mass, and improving appetite CONCLUSION It was found that the use of nutritional supplements was high among students, especially females. The primary reasons for using these supplements included improving diet and enhancing the immune system. Keywords: Nutritional supplements, University students, diet, immune system