Reasons for supplement intake and place of purchase

Why do we study the reasons for supplement intake and place of purchase?

• In Belgium, dietary supplements are widely available in pharmacies, drugstores and online.  These supplements are concentrated sources of nutrients or other substances with nutritional or physiological effect designed to complement a normal diet.     In addition to regular consumed food, dietary supplements  can help correct nutritional deficiencies or support adequate nutrient intake .  However, dietary supplements cannot replace a healthy and varied diet or compensate for poor eating habits. 
• The dietary supplement market has expanded in recent years, with more individuals incorporating supplements into their daily routines. Monitoring supplement use helps assess the role supplements play in people’s diets. By identifying why individuals take supplements, where they purchase them, and how this fits into broader nutritional behaviors, valuable insights can be gained into overall dietary habits and patterns of consumption.

How do we do it?

• Participants (or the parents of the 3-9 year old children) were asked to complete a Frequency Questionnaire on supplement consumption. They reported if they had used a dietary supplement in the past 12 months based on which participants were classified as user or non-user of supplements. 
• Supplement-users were further asked to indicate the type of supplement used and the months during which these supplement(s) were used. 
• In addition, participants were asked the reason for buying these supplements and the place of purchase: “why do you use supplements?” and “where did you buy them?” 
  • For the question about why a participant used supplement(s), the following answer options  were provided, with multiple choices allowed :
    • As a complement to a course of medication or to treat a health condition (diabetes, psychological disorders, cancers, etc.);
    • As a complement to a restrictive diet;
    • For health benefits (to have more energy, be less tired, experience better mood, improved sleep, etc.);
    • To remedy deficiencies;
    • Before or after a blood donation;
    • By advice of a health professional;
    • Other reasons.
  • For the question on where the supplement(s) were purchased, the following answer options were available, with the possibility of selecting multiple choices: ‘pharmacy’, ‘parapharmacy (Medi-Market, IU, Multipharma, etc.)’, ‘internet’, ‘drugstore (Kruidvat, Di, etc.)’, ‘health food store (Bio-Planet, Färm, Biocap, Bi’OK, etc.)’, ‘supermarket’, ‘doctor’, and ‘others’.
• Note that this was a self-reported questionnaire, the answers were given by the participant based on their memory and their knowledge of the supplement type. Therefore, results should be interpreted with caution.