Prevalence, knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards dietary supplements among Bahraini adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract The usage of dietary supplements (DS) is a global trend that is likely influenced by sociodemographic variables and body weight status. Some individuals utilize supplements in the hopes that they may enhance their health and prevent illness. Main objective of this study is to assess knowledge and awareness about using DS among Bahraini adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted using snowball sampling method, in which an electronic self-administrative questionnaire was used to collect information from 582 eligible participants. Data about socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward using DS was collected from each participant. Prevalence of DS use was high (59.3%) and most of users were females. Most DS users (87.5%) thought that DS are safe (P < 0.001). The DS users were significantly more likely than non-users to believe that DS can prevent and treat chronic and communicable diseases, as well as the DS having side effects (P < 0.05). The most frequently consumed DS were vitamin D (29.5%) and vitamin C (26.4%). The main purpose of using DS among the DS users was to treat nutrient deficiency and around 60% of them used DS based on physician’s prescription. In conclusion, the using of DS was highly prevalent among younger adult females with normal body weight. The findings of this study emphasize the need for implementing public educational programs about safe and proper use of DS. Graphical Abstract