Consumption of dietary supplements and their determinants among adults in six Arabic countries: a cross-sectional survey

Faculty Medicine Year: 2024
Type of Publication: ZU Hosted Pages: 17
Authors:
Journal: The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine Springer open Volume:
Keywords : Consumption , dietary supplements , their determinants among    
Abstract:
Background: Since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic crisis, the supplement market has consistently grown. Therefore, we conducted this survey during the fourth wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic to study the fre‐ quency and context of dietary supplement (DS) consumption (vitamins and mineral intake) and explore the consum‐ er’s pharmaceutical buying behaviour; and to study its determinants as regards the demographics, Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and healthy eating pyramids. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional web‐based survey on 1333 Arabic adults aged 18 years or more residing in six Arabic‐speaking countries in May 2022, using a validated self‐administrated questionnaire. The survey‐involved questions about sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity, FSS, healthy eating pyramid, DS consumption, and consumers’ pharmaceutical purchasing behaviour. Results: Most participants were aged 20 to less than 35 years, and 64.6% used dietary supplements. There was a sta‐ tistically significant difference between supplement users and nonusers as regards consumers’ pharmaceutical buying behaviour in terms of advertising quality, safety rules, pharmaceutical forms, and packet quality. Arabic adults con‐ sumed the following dietary supplements: 63.5% vitamin C, 60.1% vitamin D, 47.1% iron, and 44.4% zinc. Authorised products (76.0%), natural contents (75.0%), and safety rules (68%), were the most common factors influencing Arabic consumers’ pharmaceutical purchasing behavior. Multi‐logistic regression analysis showed that being female, having a history of COVID‐19, having a positive attitude about the benefits, and being recommended for supplement use were predictors of dietary supplement use. Conclusion: The dietary consumption of supplements is prevalent, mainly including vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, zinc, vitamin B, and magnesium. In addition, Arabic adults are poorly adherent to healthy eating pyramids. Given the ongo‐ ing COVID‐19 pandemic, Arabic health authorities should prioritize this issue to minimize the potential for misusing dietary supplements.
   
     
 
       

Author Related Publications

  • Nahla Mahmoud Mohammed Ashraf Ali Zytoun, "Assessment of Nutritional Status among Hemodialysis Patients by Three Different Tools.", Egyptian Association of Community Medicine., 2025 More
  • Nahla Mahmoud Mohammed Ashraf Ali Zytoun, "Exploring predictors and prevalence of postpartum depression among mothers: Multinational study", Springer Nature, 2024 More
  • Nahla Mahmoud Mohammed Ashraf Ali Zytoun, "Comparison of three embolic materials at partial splenic artery embolization for hypersplenism: clinical, laboratory, and radiological outcomes", Springer Science and Business Media, 2021 More
  • Nahla Mahmoud Mohammed Ashraf Ali Zytoun, "SARS-CoV-2 infection among preterm deliveries: frequency, determinants, effects. A retrospective cohort study in 2022", Verduci Editore s.r.l, 2023 More
  • Nahla Mahmoud Mohammed Ashraf Ali Zytoun, "Migraine among Egyptian medical students: prevalence, disability and psychological distress-cross sectional study", Springer Nature, 2023 More

Department Related Publications

  • Amany Ahmed Mohamed Abedallah, " بعض الدراسات البيوكيميائية على تأثير لقاحات الباستريلا مالتوسيدا فى الدجاج البلدى ", لايوجد, 1900 More
  • Shereen Mohamed Bahgat, "Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-1 Beta (MIP-1β) and Platelet Indices as Predictors of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis", scientic research publishing, 2015 More
  • Nora Nabil Hussein Ibrahim, "Alternative Feeding Techniques and Its Effect on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy", science publishing group, 2019 More
  • Amani Mohammed Abdullah alsaied, "Depression, Anxiety and Stress in Egyptian Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases", Egyptian Family Medicine journal, 2020 More
  • Yasmine Hosseini Hassan Husein, "Antenatal Health Care Services and Degree of Clients’ Satisfaction in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt", Menufiya Egyptian Family Medicine Association, 2020 More
Tweet