Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Pharmacoeconomics Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
PLoS One. 2018 Jun 21;13(6):e0199289. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199289. eCollection 2018.
This study aimed to explore the health beliefs and patterns of dietary supplement usage among fitness center members. This cross-sectional study was conducted in four large indoor fitness centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This study involved male fitness center members aged ≥18 years with no speech or hearing disabilities. In-person interviews were conducted with fitness center members who agreed to participate using a newly developed questionnaire. Information on participants' sociodemographics (e.g., age and education), smoking status, health status, exercise frequency, average time spent exercising, different supplements used, used supplements sources, and health beliefs regarding dietary supplements were obtained. A total of 445 fitness center members agreed to participate, and 198 of them reported taking dietary supplements. Most participants were between the age of 18 and 25 years (66%), had a college degree (74%), non-smokers (77%), healthy (84%), and perform exercise at least thrice weekly (52%) for at least 1 hour (63%). The percentage of participants who had favorable health views on dietary supplements was significantly higher among the supplement users than among the non-users (P<0.0001). Proteins, multivitamins, amino acids, and omega 3 fatty acids were the most commonly reported supplements used. Almost 30% of the supplement users reported buying them overseas, 28% online, 25% from a pharmacy or supplement store, 19% from a medical clinic, and 17% from peddlers. Public health campaigns are needed to educate the public on the potential harmful effects of supplements if purchased from an unofficial seller or taken without seeking medical advice before using them.
本研究旨在探讨健身中心会员的健康信念和饮食习惯。这是一项在沙特阿拉伯利雅得的四个大型室内健身中心进行的横断面研究。研究对象为年龄≥18 岁、无言语或听力障碍的男性健身中心会员。对同意参与研究的健身中心会员进行面对面访谈，使用新开发的问卷收集参与者的社会人口统计学信息（如年龄和教育程度）、吸烟状况、健康状况、运动频率、平均运动时间、使用的不同补充剂、补充剂来源以及对膳食补充剂的健康信念。共有 445 名健身中心会员同意参与研究，其中 198 名报告服用膳食补充剂。大多数参与者年龄在 18 至 25 岁之间（66%），具有大学学历（74%），不吸烟（77%），健康（84%），每周至少运动三次（52%），每次至少 1 小时（63%）。在补充剂使用者中，对膳食补充剂有良好健康看法的参与者比例明显高于非使用者（P<0.0001）。蛋白质、多种维生素、氨基酸和欧米伽 3 脂肪酸是最常报告使用的补充剂。近 30%的补充剂使用者表示从海外购买，28%从网上购买，25%从药店或补充剂店购买，19%从诊所购买，17%从小贩处购买。需要开展公共卫生运动，教育公众如果从非官方卖家购买或在使用前未经医生建议而服用补充剂，可能会产生潜在的有害影响。
