PATTERN AND DETERMINANTS OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE TOWARDS VITAMINS ABUSE AMONG PEOPLE IN SAUDI ARABIA.
Abstract
Background: Dietary supplement (DS) intake has been increasing worldwide despite no consensus evidence for the efficacy and safety of disease prevention, control, or treatment.
Objectives: To explore the pattern and determinants of knowledge, attitude, and practice towards Dietary supplements among the population in Saudi Arabia.
Method A cross-sectional study was conducted on 324 subjects via an online Google Form questionnaire. It provided information on personal and sociodemographic characteristics, morbid history, and KAP towards DS. Principal component factor analysis was used.
Results: The present study included 324 respondents; the mean age was 29.36 ±9.104 years.
It was found that 84% of the subjects were aware of DS. About 80% of the subjects had taken vitamin supplements. The best-known vitamin was Vitamin C, while the least-known was Vitamin K. 50% of the subjects were unaware of the harmful effects of vitamin supplements. The results also showed that 81% of the study population had taken vitamin supplements, and 50% of the participants considered that vitamin supplements could be helpful. Taking vitamin supplements as a compensation for the deficiencies in the body was the most frequently chosen answer (72%) as the reason for the use of vitamin supplements. On the other hand, a majority of the population was unaware of the indications for the use of vitamin supplements.
Conclusion: This study displays a very important but neglected area of DS. Since the KAP towards the use of DS seems to be lacking in Saudi Arabia, we therefore recommend that this be addressed either by conducting health education programs to educate the general population through the media or by health care professionals. The results of this study signify that further studies are needed to assess the overuse of DS and the factors related to the description of multivitamins by doctors to their patients.
