Abo Ali Ehab A, Elgamal Hanan H
aDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine bDepartment of Exercise and Sports Show, Faculty of Physical Education, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2016 Dec;91(4):185-191. doi: 10.1097/01.EPX.0000511736.22873.57.
The use of dietary supplements has greatly increased in the past few years. Few studies described the prevalence of supplement use among gym trainees. The practices of most of the athletes and gym trainees in Egypt remain undocumented. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of dietary supplement use among gyms trainees in Tanta city, Egypt.
A cross-sectional comparative study was carried out on 450 gym trainees aged more than or equal to 20 years in Tanta city, Egypt. Nine representative gyms (50 participants from each) were recruited in the study. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, health and lifestyle characteristics, type, underlying motive(s), and source(s) of information about dietary supplements were collected from each participant.
Of the 450 participants, 38.2% reported using dietary supplements. Male participants and those with higher family incomes used dietary supplements more than female participants and those with lower family incomes (P<0.05). Female participants used vitamins/minerals, weight loss, and natural groups of dietary supplements more than male participants (P<0.05), whereas male participants used body-building group of supplements more than female participants (P<0.05). Participants of older ages (≥30) tended to use the natural group of dietary supplements more than younger ones (P<0.05). Female participants were more motivated to use dietary supplements for the prevention of nutritional and/or medical problems and for weight loss, whereas male participants used dietary supplements for muscle building/repair (P<0.05). Female participants mostly got their information about dietary supplements from health professionals and from the media more than male participants, whereas male participants got this information mainly from gym personnel.
A considerable proportion of gym trainees use dietary supplements, mostly without professional consultation and frequently without any indication. It is very important to disseminate accurate information on these products in the sports environment.
在过去几年中，膳食补充剂的使用大幅增加。很少有研究描述健身学员中补充剂的使用情况。埃及大多数运动员和健身学员的做法仍未得到记录。本研究旨在评估埃及坦塔市健身学员中膳食补充剂的使用情况。
对埃及坦塔市450名年龄大于或等于20岁的健身学员进行了一项横断面比较研究。研究招募了9家具有代表性的健身房（每家50名参与者）。从每位参与者收集了社会人口学特征、健康和生活方式特征、膳食补充剂的类型、潜在动机以及信息来源等数据。
在450名参与者中，38.2%的人报告使用膳食补充剂。男性参与者和家庭收入较高者比女性参与者和家庭收入较低者更常使用膳食补充剂（P<0.05）。女性参与者比男性参与者更多地使用维生素/矿物质、减肥和天然类别的膳食补充剂（P<0.05），而男性参与者比女性参与者更多地使用增肌类补充剂（P<0.05）。年龄较大（≥30岁）的参与者比年轻参与者更倾向于使用天然类膳食补充剂（P<0.05）。女性参与者使用膳食补充剂的主要动机是预防营养和/或医疗问题以及减肥，而男性参与者使用膳食补充剂是为了肌肉锻炼/修复（P<0.05）。女性参与者比男性参与者更多地从健康专业人员和媒体获得有关膳食补充剂的信息，而男性参与者主要从健身房工作人员那里获得此类信息。
相当一部分健身学员使用膳食补充剂，大多未经专业咨询，且常常没有任何指征。在体育环境中传播关于这些产品的准确信息非常重要。
