Dietary Supplement Use in Relation to Socio-Demographic and Lifestyle Factors, including Adherence to Mediterranean-Style Diet in University Students

Abstract

The study aimed to examine socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants, including diet quality, of dietary supplement (DS) use among 2545 students who attended public universities in Warsaw. The data was collected using a self-administered health and lifestyle questionnaire and a 5-day dietary record method. Diet quality was assessed using a Mediterranean Diet Score. To determine the covariates of DS use, multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models with an estimation of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used. The results showed that 41% of participants were DS users. The following predictors of DS use were identified: gender (male vs. female; OR:0.62, 95% CI:0.50–0.79), physical activity (high vs. low; OR:1.79, 95% CI:1.45–2.20), BMI (≥25 vs. 18.5–24.9 kg/m2; OR:0.77, 95%CI:0.61–0.98), cigarette smoking (yes vs. no; OR:0.67, 95% CI:0.52–0.86), and presence of chronic diseases (yes vs. no; OR:2.37, 95% CI:1.89–2.98). Moreover, higher nutritional knowledge, special diet usage, eating more meals/day, and fortified food consumption were determinants of DS use. Adherence to the Mediterranean-style diet was positively associated with DS use, a 1-score increment was associated with a 10% (p-trend = 0.011) higher probability of DS usage. Given that the use of vitamins and/or minerals is common among university students and their users are characterized by eating a higher quality diet, investigating the contribution of DS in overall dietary nutrient intake warrants further study.

Prevalence, Determinants, and Consumer Stance towards Dietary Supplements According to Sex in a Large Greek Sample: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Specifically, the most frequently used DS were multivitamins (MV) and vitamin C . Our results are in agreement with several other studies that were conducted before the pandemic with regards to the popularity of MV [ 16 , 18 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 45 ] and vitamin C [ 18 , 33 , 35 , 44 , 45 ], with few exceptions [ 19 , 27 , 43 ]; even after the onset of the pandemic, the popularity of MV [ 10 ] and vitamin C [ 20 , 35 , 36 ] remained high. The consumption of MV might be an attempt to cover the needs for a large extent of nutrients and, therefore, provide a broader sense of safety to the consumers who seek to take care of their general health; oddly enough, the men tended to consume MV more often even though most of them had fitness-related goals This finding is ambivalent, as it disagrees with the current literature [ 17 , 18 , 23 , 34 , 47 , 53 ], even though these studies seem to pool MV and multiminerals together; either way, even if we followed the same tactic, our results would still disagree.…”

“…Regarding the reasons for DS use, we found that, overall, the most common motivator was the improvement of physical condition, followed by the treatment of nutrient deficiencies and the treatment and prevention of pathological conditions. Our results are in agreement with similar pre-pandemic studies, which have found the main reasons for use to be “health” [ 18 , 44 , 45 ], the improvement of “health” [ 17 , 43 ] or “well-being” [ 46 ], the prevention or treatment of nutrient deficiencies [ 19 , 34 ], or a medical necessity [ 34 ]. However, other reasons, such as stress [ 47 ] and fatigue [ 27 ], have also been reported to be the prime motivator in certain studies.…”

“…Therefore, we have described the “statistical profile” of supplement users separately for men and women. Certain determinants of DS use are shared between men and women and concur with the fairly consistent literature, i.e., having a higher level of education [ 7 , 9 , 22 , 23 , 27 , 28 , 35 , 53 , 56 ], following a special diet [ 19 , 26 , 27 , 43 ] or even tending to follow a healthier diet [ 21 , 56 ], and having a physically active lifestyle [ 17 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 27 , 28 , 56 ]. Although, Rontogianni et al did not find a significant association between DS use and education and the level of adherence to a Mediterranean diet, they did report a suggestive positive relationship for physical activity, but only for men [ 12 ].…”

“…Specifically, the top reason for not using DS was the fear of side effects, which was reported by around four out of ten DS non-users, followed by a satisfactory level of fitness and a proper diet, which was expressed by around three out of ten, with “lack of necessity” being cited by merely 3%. Other studies regarding the reasons for DS non-use have reported the top reasons to be an absence of necessity [ 20 , 42 ], a lack of vitamin deficiency [ 20 ], and adequate nutrition [ 43 ], while concerns about their safety were expressed by comparatively low percentages; namely ~5% for a Middle Eastern general population sample [ 20 ] and ~8% for a Polish university student sample [ 43 ]. However, it seems that results are not homogeneous between different populations.…”

Nutritional Supplements Use and Mediterranean Diet Quality Index Scores Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case of University Students, Türkiye: Cross-Sectional Study

“…yaptığı bir çalışmada, Akdeniz diyetine uyum, diyet takviyesi kullanımı ile pozitif ilişkili bulunmuştur. 34 Çalışmada, öğrencilere gönderilen çevrim içi anketlerde yer alan sorular beyana dayalı olduğu için ve anketi yanıtlarken öğrencilerin gerçeğe uygun beyanda bulunmamış olma ihtimalleri, çalışmanın sınırlılığı olarak sayılabilir. Öğrencilerin COVID-19 pandemi sürecinde beslenme alışkanlıklarını, pandemi öncesi-sırasında besin destekleri kullanım durumlarını ve Akdeniz diyetine uyumlarını hem pandemi öncesinde hem de pandemi sırasında araştıran çalışma sayısı azdır.…”