Prevalence of nonvitamin, nonmineral supplement usage among undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Stout

Abstract

The use of dietary supplements in the United States is increasing due to the growing interest in nutrition. Herbs, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals are all categorized together vaguely as dietary supplements. In the U.S., approximately fifty percent of the population use dietary supplements. Many dietary supplements are showing positive effects, but they have the potential to cause multiple problems if people that use supplements are undereducated or misinformed. Herbal supplements involve more safety concerns than vitamins and minerals, due to the lack of a guarantee that the product has known pharmacological effects. By determining the prevalence of nonvitamin, nonmineral supplementation among undergraduates, professionals can be armed with knowledge to teach about appropriate use and potential side effects that are associated with supplement use. This study was designed to: 1) quantify the prevalence of nonvitamin, nonmineral supplement usage among Unversity of Wisconsin-Stout undergraduate students, 2) identify supplements consumed, 3) identify the rationale for supplement usage, 4) identify the source of supplement information, and 5) relate usage to selected demographic characteristics. The subjects included undergraduate students enrolled in Health and Physical Education general education courses. A total of 486 students participated. There were 210 males and 276 females. Two hundred and twelve subjects (43.6%) reported that they were freshmen and 368 of the respondents (75.8%) were between the ages of 18 and 21. Seventy-four (15.2%) of the participants reported current use of nonvitamin, nonmineral supplements. The students in this sample noted ginseng, creatinine, echinaccea, green tea, and protein powder as the most common supplements used. Findings showed that the most prevalent reason for using supplements among students who used supplements was found to be to improve energy (55.1%). Of the students taking supplements the majority (69.4%) obtained supplement information primarily from family and friends. The recommendations determined from this study was that people who use nonvitmamin, nonmineral supplements should look for side effects on the product label, look for proper dosage, do not believe outrageous claims, and seek the advice of a health care professional to determine if the product is safe.