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Prevalence, reasons, and determinants of dietary supplements use among undergraduate female students of health and non-health colleges in a Saudi public university

Islam MA 1 , Al-Karasneh AF 1 , Rizvi M 2 , Nisa ZU 3 , Albakheet AM 1 , Alshagawi MA 4 Show all authors , Iqbal MS 5 , Almuzel AI 6 , Al Afif HS 6 , Mahmoud MA 7 , Mohamed Ibrahim AA 8 , Hossain MA 9 , Maqsood MB 10 , Naqvi AA 1 , Haseeb A 11 , Jamshed S 12

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 Dow College of Pharmacy, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 3 Faculty of Pharmacy, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 4 Department of Pharmacology, College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  • 5 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
  • 6 College of Clinical Pharmacy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
  • 7 Department of Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia
  • 8 Department of Pharmacy practice, College of Pharmacy, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 9 Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Medicine, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  • 10 King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Al Ahsa, Saudia Arabia
  • 11 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Umm Al Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
  • 12 Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, UniSZA, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia
PLoS One, 2021;16(3):e0247295.
PMID: 33657129 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247295

Abstract

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to gather data from female students studying in both health and non-health colleges at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University and report the prevalence, reasons, and determinants of dietary supplements use.

METHODS: A month-long cross-sectional study was conducted in health and non-health colleges affiliated to Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Convenient sampling was employed, and the data was gathered through an online survey using the English and Arabic versions of the Dietary Supplement Questionnaire (DSQ). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and Medcalc. The study was approved by an ethics committee.

RESULTS: Data from 545 participants was collected. The overall prevalence of dietary supplement use was 32.7% (95% CI: 29.06%- 36.51%). The prevalence was 29.77% (95% CI: 25.29%- 34.56%) among students at all health colleges combined and, it was 37.50% (95% CI: 31.36%- 43.96%) among students at all non-health colleges. Most students used a brand product, spent a monthly cost of SAR 286 (USD 76.3) on supplements and agreed that supplements were good for health (N = 392, 71.9%). Students from non-health- colleges agreed that dietary supplements are good for health in greater numbers as compared to non-health college students (p < 0.001). Students aged ≥ 20 years, studying in a non-health college and up to 3rd year of study, were more 2 times more likely to agree that dietary supplements are good for health.

CONCLUSION: Supplements were commonly used among female students at this university however, it was quite low as compared to students from other local and regional universities. Prevalence was higher in non-health colleges as compared to health colleges and the most commonly used supplements were brand products and, multivitamins, used for general health and well-being. This highlights the inclination of students towards supplement use.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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