Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia.
Natural Products and Alternative Medicines, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, 31441, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2018 Oct 1;18(1):269. doi: 10.1186/s12906-018-2332-4.
Dietary supplements (DS) are nutraceuticals that improve overall health and well-being of an individual as well as reduce the risk of diseases. Evidence indicates a rising prevalence of these products worldwide especially among college students. Studies have reported an increasing use of supplements among Saudi students. However, the scope of those researches was limited to prevalence data. Hence, the aim of our study was to document the prevalence, opinions, attitudes, reasons for use and monthly cost attributed to dietary supplement use.
A 3-month cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate use of dietary supplement among health and non-health college students at a public-sector university in Dammam city, Saudi Arabia. It was conducted using Arabic version of the Dietary supplement questionnaire (DSQ-A). A total of 469 male students responded to the survey giving a response rate of 93.8%. The students were from ten colleges of the university. The data was analyzed by SPSS version 22. The study was approved by Institutional Review Board of Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (IRB-UGS-2018-05-074).
The overall prevalence of dietary supplement use in the university was 29.42%. In health cluster colleges, it was reported at 35.91% while in non-health cluster college it was 23.69%. Maintaining general health and well-being was the most common reason for use. Prevalence of multivitamins and whey proteins was approximately 23%. Average monthly cost of supplement was SAR 278.92 (USD 74.39). Cost was positively correlated (ρ = 0.305) with satisfaction score. Students preferred brand products (16.4%). 41.4% students opined that DS may prevent chronic illness if used regularly and agreed that they are good for health. Majority of students (65%) recommended DS use only upon physician's recommendation. College clusters and study-year was associated (p-value< 0.01) with students' opinion. Students in health cluster colleges were more likely to recommend supplements (OR 3.715, p-value< 0.0001).
Prevalence of dietary supplement use was lower than other local and international university students. Health cluster colleges had higher prevalence as compared to non-health cluster colleges. Multivitamins and whey protein were the most commonly used types of DS. Students preferred brand products, had positive opinions and attitudes towards dietary supplement. However, they recommended supplements use to others only upon a physician's recommendation.
膳食补充剂（DS）是一种营养保健品，可改善个人的整体健康和幸福感，降低患病风险。有证据表明，这些产品在全球范围内的流行程度正在上升，尤其是在大学生中。研究报告称，沙特学生对补充剂的使用呈上升趋势。然而，这些研究的范围仅限于流行数据。因此，我们的研究目的是记录膳食补充剂的使用情况、意见、态度、使用原因和每月费用，以评估其对健康的影响。
本研究采用阿拉伯语版膳食补充剂问卷（DSQ-A），对沙特阿拉伯达曼市一所公立大学的健康和非健康专业大学生进行了为期 3 个月的横断面研究，以评估膳食补充剂的使用情况。共有 469 名男生对该调查做出了回应，应答率为 93.8%。这些学生来自该大学的十个学院。采用 SPSS 版本 22 对数据进行分析。本研究得到了沙特阿拉伯阿卜杜勒阿齐兹国王大学伊玛目阿卜杜勒拉赫曼本费萨尔大学机构审查委员会的批准（IRB-UGS-2018-05-074）。
该大学膳食补充剂的总体使用率为 29.42%。在健康专业学院的报告率为 35.91%，而非健康专业学院的报告率为 23.69%。维持整体健康和幸福感是最常见的使用原因。多种维生素和乳清蛋白的使用率约为 23%。补充剂的月平均费用为 278.92 沙特里亚尔（74.39 美元）。费用与满意度评分呈正相关（ρ=0.305）。学生更喜欢品牌产品（16.4%）。41.4%的学生认为如果定期使用，膳食补充剂可以预防慢性病，并认为它们对健康有益。大多数学生（65%）仅建议在医生建议下使用膳食补充剂。学院集群和学习年限与学生的意见相关（p 值<0.01）。健康学院的学生更有可能推荐使用补充剂（OR 3.715，p 值<0.0001）。
膳食补充剂的使用率低于其他本地和国际大学生。与非健康专业学院相比，健康专业学院的使用率更高。多种维生素和乳清蛋白是最常用的膳食补充剂类型。学生对膳食补充剂持积极的意见和态度，更喜欢品牌产品。然而，他们只建议在医生建议下向他人推荐使用补充剂。
