Dietary Supplement Use in Relation to Socio-Demographic and Lifestyle Factors, including Adherence to Mediterranean-Style Diet in University Students

Abstract

The study aimed to examine socio-demographic and lifestyle determinants, including diet quality, of dietary supplement (DS) use among 2545 students who attended public universities in Warsaw. The data was collected using a self-administered health and lifestyle questionnaire and a 5-day dietary record method. Diet quality was assessed using a Mediterranean Diet Score. To determine the covariates of DS use, multivariate-adjusted logistic regression models with an estimation of odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used. The results showed that 41% of participants were DS users. The following predictors of DS use were identified: gender (male vs. female; OR:0.62, 95% CI:0.50-0.79), physical activity (high vs. low; OR:1.79, 95% CI:1.45-2.20), BMI (≥25 vs. 18.5-24.9 kg/m²; OR:0.77, 95% CI:0.61-0.98), cigarette smoking (yes vs. no; OR:0.67, 95% CI:0.52-0.86), and presence of chronic diseases (yes vs. no; OR:2.37, 95% CI:1.89-2.98). Moreover, higher nutritional knowledge, special diet usage, eating more meals/day, and fortified food consumption were determinants of DS use. Adherence to the Mediterranean-style diet was positively associated with DS use, a 1-score increment was associated with a 10% (p-trend = 0.011) higher probability of DS usage. Given that the use of vitamins and/or minerals is common among university students and their users are characterized by eating a higher quality diet, investigating the contribution of DS in overall dietary nutrient intake warrants further study.

Keywords: Mediterranean diet score; determinants; dietary supplements; university students.

Figure 1

Study population flow chart.