Assessment of Dietary Supplements Use among American University of Beirut Students: Prevalence, Knowledge, and Reasons for Supplementation

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and type of supplements used among university students, level of knowledge in this respect, reasons to supplement their diet, and the sources for information about dietary supplements. A sample of 100 students at the American University of Beirut were surveyed through a questionnaire composed of 22 questions and divided into four sections: socio-demographic, anthropometric, dietary supplement (DS) knowledge, DS intake and reasons. Descriptive statistics were conducted to determine the frequency of respondents for each variable and appropriate statistical tests were used for associations according to variable type and data. A total of 100 participants were included in the study of which 49 (49.0%) were males and 51 (51.0%) were females. Sixty-eight participants were dietary supplement users, of which 27 (39.7%) were males and 41 (60.3%) were females. Supplementation reasons differed: 53 consumed supplements to improve energy and vitality, 22 to enhance cognitive performance, 22 to promote hair, skin and health, and 13 to prevent or treat cold. A significant association was observed between dietary supplements use and female gender (OR = 5.66, 95% CI: 1.60-20.10). No significance was found between consuming dietary supplements and smoking status, BMI, living conditions, medical condition, age, exercise, major, dietary knowledge, and side effects. More than half of the participants are dietary supplements users with females being more likely to use them. The main reason for both genders to resort to dietary supplement use is to improve their energy and vitality.

Keywords:

• dietary supplements
• knowledge
• prevalence
• reasons
• students

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the contribution of all the students who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Ethical standards disclosure

This study was conducted according to the guidelines laid down in the Declaration of Helsinki and all procedures involving research study participants were approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the American University of Beirut.Verbal consent was witnessed and formally recorded.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Leen Lawand

Leen lawand received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietitics from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. She finished her clinical training as a Dietetic Intern at the Saint Georges Hospital in Beirut. Through her training, she has been involved in clinical rotation, food service rotation, community nutrition.Her research interest is generally in clinical research especially in the nutrition and dietitics.

Rewa Youness

Rewa Youness received her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietitics from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. She finished her clinical training as a Dietetic Intern at the Clemenceau Medical Center in Beirut. Her research interest is generally in clinical research especially in the nutrition and dietitics.

Loubna Sinno

Loubna Sinno received her Bachelor of Science in Biology followed by a Masters in Public Health (MPH) from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. She was appointed as a Research Coordinator at Makassed General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon. Through her work, she has been involved in supervising research projects as well as helping in analyses and manuscript writing. Her research interest is generally in clinical research especially in the obstetrics & gynecology and internal medicine fields.

Nabih Lawand

Nabih Lawand is a psychology student at the American University of Beirut. He is a pre- med student who is currently preparing to join Medical School at the American University of Beirut. His research interest is generally in clinical research especially in clinical psychology, Public health, and General Medicine fields.

Samaa Al Tabbah

Samaa Al Tabbah received her Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Technology from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon followed by a Pharm. D. in Clinical Pharmacy from the Lebanese American University in Lebanon. She is currently the founder and CEO of MARS (Medical Agency for Research and Statistics) which is a clinical research company based in Beirut, Lebanon. Through her work, she has been involved in research projects as well as manuscript writing and clinical research training workshops. Her research interest is generally in clinical research especially in Oncology.