Abutaima Rana, Barakat Muna, Thiab Samar, Sawan Hana M, Amer Malak, Alzayer Reem, Abdelaziz Doaa H, Mansour Noha O, Saleh Fatima, Dayyih Wael Abu
Faculty of Pharmacy, Zarqa University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan.
Front Pharmacol. 2025 Apr 28;16:1550695. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1550695. eCollection 2025.
Magnesium is a vital mineral with a crucial role in different biochemical reactions. There is a contradicting evidences about its role in maintaining bone, muscle and cardiovascular health. Recently, magnesium supplements gained attention due to claimed effectiveness in improving sleep quality and relieving muscle spasm.
This study aimed to assess Arab communities' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding magnesium supplementation.
A cross-sectional self-administered survey was disseminated to collect responses from different Arab countries. Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographics. Data normality was assessed using Shapiro-Wilk test. Associations between sociodemographic variables and knowledge, attitudes and practices were explored using simple and multiple linear regression. Significance level was considered at p < 0.05.
A total of 1,445 responses were collected. Mean (±SD) knowledge scores were low 8.61 ± 5.9. Eighty seven percent recognized magnesium role in alleviating muscle spasm and sleep disorders (83%). Magnesium citrate was the mostly used magnesium salt (37.43%). Neutral attitudes were observed with a mean score of 3.02 ± 0.66. Only 31.8% reported using magnesium supplements, 36.1% of them received a medical consultation. Having poly cystic ovary (p = 0.033), relying on scientific articles (0.004), receiving pharmacist consultation (p = 0.019) significantly associated with higher knowledge.
Despite the huge debate regarding magnesium benefits in maintaining muscle, bone health and improving sleep quality, this study found that there is a significant gap in knowledge and neutral attitude towards magnesium supplementation in Arab communities. These findings emphasizes the need for educational campaigns targeting the public on the rationale use of supplements.
镁是一种重要的矿物质，在不同的生化反应中起着关键作用。关于其在维持骨骼、肌肉和心血管健康方面的作用，存在相互矛盾的证据。最近，镁补充剂因声称能有效改善睡眠质量和缓解肌肉痉挛而受到关注。
本研究旨在评估阿拉伯社区对镁补充剂的知识、态度和实践。
开展了一项横断面自填式调查，以收集来自不同阿拉伯国家的回复。计算人口统计学的描述性统计数据。使用夏皮罗-威尔克检验评估数据正态性。使用简单和多元线性回归探讨社会人口统计学变量与知识、态度和实践之间的关联。显著性水平设定为p < 0.05。
共收集到1445份回复。平均（±标准差）知识得分较低，为8.61 ± 5.9。87%的人认识到镁在缓解肌肉痉挛和睡眠障碍方面的作用（83%）。柠檬酸镁是最常用的镁盐（37.43%）。观察到态度中立，平均得分为3.02 ± 0.66。只有31.8%的人报告使用镁补充剂，其中36.1%的人接受过医学咨询。患有多囊卵巢（p = 0.033）、依赖科学文章（0.004）、接受药剂师咨询（p = 0.019）与更高的知识水平显著相关。
尽管关于镁在维持肌肉、骨骼健康和改善睡眠质量方面的益处存在巨大争议，但本研究发现阿拉伯社区在对镁补充剂的知识和中立态度方面存在显著差距。这些发现强调了针对公众开展关于合理使用补充剂的教育活动的必要性。
