Alaa Qadhi, Wedad Azhar, Rawan Alamoudi, Najlaa H Almohmadi, Wafaa Abusudah, Reema A Alyamani, Sarah O Alkholy, Walaa E Alhassani, Hassan M Bukhari, Abrar M Babteen and Khlou Ghafouri*

Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia

*Corresponding Author: Khlou Ghafouri, Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Saudi Arabia.

Received: May 19, 2023; Published: June 11, 2023

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, there is a trend in vitamin and mineral deficiency. Low intake or overconsumption of a dietary supplement may have adverse health effects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the awareness of the Saudi population concerning the use of dietary supplements. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were obtained using an online questionnaire designed to collect information about dietary supplements (DS). The study population consisted of 1572 participants. The knowledge scores were calculated as the mean ± the SD. For all participants (n = 1572), three categories were used to delineate the level of knowledge regarding DS: a high level, a medium level and a low level. The results demonstrated that 76% of the total number of participants had a low level of knowledge, while 24% had a moderate level and 0.1% had a high level of knowledge.

Significant associations were observed between gender and knowledge score (P = 0.032), education and knowledge score (P < 0.001), and the profession with knowledge score (P < 0.001). Moreover, monthly income was significantly correlated with the mean score (P = 0.019), and a significant association was observed between smoking and knowledge score (P = 0.001).

In this study, the participants had low knowledge and poor perceptions regarding dietary supplements. Of the total number of participants, 67.1% believed that there was no benefit to consuming DS, and 95.5% had a false perception that DS cause side effects. Furthermore, 48% of participants were uncertain about the safety of DS. These findings elucidate a current gap in knowledge among the Saudi population concerning the use of DS. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of the participants demonstrated overall proficiency regarding supplements. However, the results also demonstrate that there is a requirement to increase awareness concerning DS and to promote the safe use of these supplements. This can be achieved through cooperative educational projects between the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, and the Saudi Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

Keywords:Dietary Supplements; Knowledge; Awareness; Attitude; Vitamins

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Citation

Citation: Khlou Ghafouri., et al. “Awareness of Dietary Supplements among the Saudi Population: A Cross-Sectional Study".Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 7.7 (2023): 51-59.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Khlou Ghafouri., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.