The Prevalence and Predictors of Dietary Supplements Use among Female University Students in Tehran, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Food Science and Technology, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Nutrition and Food Sciences Research Center, TeMS.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.30476/ijns.2025.106036.1421

Abstract

Background: Proper nutrition is essential for maintaining health, and supplements can help fulfill the need for essential nutrients. However, improper use of supplements may lead to some adverse effects. Determining the prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) usage and examining potential predictors of consumption among Iranian female
university students in Tehran were the objectives of this study.
Methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted in 2023, involved 400 female students aged 18-32 years. Through self-administered questionnaires, this study evaluated body image (BI) discrepancy, nutritional knowledge (NK), weight management knowledge (WMK), DS use, and sociodemographic and health-related factors. A trained team observed the process. Anthropometric indices, including body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) were recorded.
Results: A total of 74.6% of participants used supplements in the past 3 months, with higher usage among medical students (79.1%). The commonly used supplements were vitamin D (71.3%) and iron (59.3%). Medical students had greater nutritional and weight management knowledge (p<0.05); but had more BI dissatisfaction compared with nonmedicals students (28.5% vs. 41.3%). Logistic regression revealed that age (p<0.001, OR=1.39) and the NK score (p<0.01, OR=1.11) were positively associated with supplement use. Healthier diet ratings were correlated with lower supplement use (p<0.01).
Conclusion: University students, particularly those in medical fields, had a higher rate of DS use. Identifying the predictors of DS use is important for developing health education programs that address the benefits and risks and achieve better health outcomes.

Highlights

Mansooreh Sadat Mojani-Qomi (Google Scholar)

Keywords

References

  1. Young AL, Bass IS. The dietary supplement health and education act. Food Drug Law J. 1995;50:285-92. PMID: 10342995.
  2. Khosroshahi AG, Saiyarsarai P, Yektadoost A, et al. Dietary supplements market size analysis in Iran from 2011 to 2015. J Pharmacoeconomics Pharmaceutical Management. 2017;3:41-7.
  3. Mahdavi-Roshan M, Rezazadeh A, Joukar F, et al. Dietary supplements consumption and its association with socioeconomic factors, obesity and main non-communicable chronic diseases in the north of Iran: the PERSIAN Guilan Cohort Study (PGCS). BMC Nutr. 2021;7:84. DOI: 10.1186/s40795-021-00488-2. PMID: 34906216.
  4. Sotoudeh G, Kabiri S, Yeganeh HS, et al. Predictors of dietary supplement usage among medical interns of Tehran university of medical sciences. J Health Popul Nutr. 2015;33:68-75. PMID: 25995723.
  5. Fattahzadeh-Ardalani G, Farzaneh E, Fathi A, et al. Determining the prevalence of dietary supplement consumption among Ardabil University students and related factors, 2014. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2016;3:224-9.
  6. Sicinska E, Madej D, Szmidt MK, et al. Dietary supplement use in relation to socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, including adherence to mediterranean-style diet in university students. Nutrients. 2022;14:2745. DOI: 10.3390/nu14132745. PMID: 35807925.
  7. Kobayashi E, Sato Y, Umegaki K, et al. The prevalence of dietary supplement use among college students: a nationwide survey in Japan. Nutrients. 2017;9:1250. DOI: 10.3390/nu9111250. PMID: 29140269.
  8. Wallace TC, Frankenfeld CL, Frei B, et al. Multivitamin/multimineral supplement use is associated with increased micronutrient intakes and biomarkers and decreased prevalence of inadequacies and deficiencies in middle-aged and older adults in the United States. J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr. 2019;38:307-28. DOI: 10.1080/21551197.2019.1656135. PMID: 31502930.
  9. Phua D, Zosel A, Heard K. Dietary supplements and herbal medicine toxicities—when to anticipate them and how to manage them. Int J Emerg Med. 2009;2:69-76. DOI: 10.1007/s12245-009-0105-z. PMID: 20157447.
  10. National Institutes of Health OoDS. Nutrient recommendations and databases.
  11. Mishra S, Stierman B, Gahche JJ, et al. Dietary supplement use among adults: United States, 2017–2018. NCHS Data Brief. 2021:(399):1-8. PMID: 33663653.
  12. Namazi N, Kelishadi R, Heshmat R, et al. Determinants of taking dietary supplements in Iranian children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-V study. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2019;18:409-17. DOI: 10.1007/s40200-019-00432-z. PMID: 31890666.
  13. Cornier MA, Després JP, Davis N, et al. Assessing adiposity: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;124:1996-2019. DOI: 10.1161/CIR.0b013e318233bc6a. PMID: 21947291.
  14. Peng Y, Li W, Wang Y, et al. The cut-off point and boundary values of waist-to-height ratio as an indicator for cardiovascular risk factors in Chinese adults from the PURE study. PLoS One. 2015;10:e0144539. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144539. PMID: 26642201.
  15. Zhang FL, Ren JX, Zhang P, et al. Strong association of waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR), and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) with diabetes: a population‐based cross‐sectional study in Jilin Province, China. J Diabetes Res. 2021;2021:8812431. DOI: 10.1155/2021/8812431. PMID: 34056007.
  16. Dwyer J, Nahin RL, Rogers GT, et al. Prevalence and predictors of children’s dietary supplement use: the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;97:1331-7. DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.112.052373. PMID: 23576049.
  17. Giammarioli S, Boniglia C, Carratù B, et al. Reliability of a self-administered postal questionnaire on the use of food supplements in an Italian adult population. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2010;80:394-407. DOI: 10.1024/0300-9831/a000026. PMID: 21792820.
  18. Stunkard A, Sorenson T, Schulsinger F. Use of the Danish Adoption Register for the study of obesity and thinness. In: Kety SS, Rowland LP, Sidman RL, Matthysse SW, editors. The Genetics of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders. New York: Raven Press; 1983.p.115-20. PMID: 6823524.
  19. National Coordinating Committee on Food and Nutrition. Healthy eating campaign of the Ministry of Health Malaysia, Technical Working Group (Research), with the cooperation of Institute of Medical Research. 1997. Available from: https://infosihat.moh.gov.my/images/media_sihat/kchs/KCHS_1997/pdf/manualMesej/MAN%20MESEJ%20KCHS%20BI_1997.pdf.
  20. Wardle J, Johnson F. Weight and dieting: examining levels of weight concern in British adults. Int J Obesity Related and Metabolic Disorder. 2002;26:1144-9. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0802046. PMID: 12119582.
  21. Mehrabani D, Masoumi SJ, Masoumi AS, et al. Role of Diet in Mesenchymal Stem Cells’ Function: A Review. Int J Nutr Sci. 2023;8:9-19. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2023.97788.1221.
  22. Homayoun M, Mehrabani D, Edalatmanesh MA, et al. The Role of Lithium Chloride in Nutrition and Stem Cell Growth Kinetics: A Review. Int J Nutr Sci. 2021;6:6-13. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2021.88801.1104.
  23. Mohammadzadeh N, Mehrabani D, Zare S, et al. What Happens When Methamphetamine Is Added to Nutrients of Cell Culture Medium? In Vitro Assessment of Morphological, Growth and Differential Potential of Wharton’s Jelly Stem Cells. Int J Nutr Sci. 2022;7:233-240. DOI: 10.30476/ijns.2022.97432.1210.
  24. Karamizadeh M, Zare M, Sohrabi Z, Akbarzadeh M. Sun Exposure Behaviors and Vitamin D Status in Healthy Adults. Int J Nutr Sci. 2025;10:75-85. DOI: 10.30476/ijns.2025.100529.1281.
  25. Heidari Seyedmahalle M, Haghpanah Jahromi F, Akbarzadeh M, et al. Effect of

Chromium Supplementation on Body Weight and Body Fat: A Systematic Review of Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trials. Int J Nutr Sci. 2022;7:131-137. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2022.96839.1201.

  1. Ghadimi Moghadam AK, Masoumi SJ, Nouri M, et al. The Effect of Nutrients Intake with an Emphasis on Immune-Boostings in Patients with COVID-19. Int J Nutr Sci. 2022;7:34-40. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2022.94174.1170.
  2. Shamshirgardi E, Shahsavani Z, Akbarzadeh M. Vitamin D and Frailty in Older Adults: A Review. Int J Nutr Sci. 2021;6:70-73. DOI: 10.30476/IJNS.2021.88716.1102.
  3. Yoo EG. Waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool for obesity and cardiometabolic risk. Korean J Pediatr. 2016;59:425-431.
  4. Tabary M, Cheraghian B, Mohammadi Z, et al. Association of anthropometric indices with cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults: a study in Iran. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2021;20:358-66. DOI: 10.1093/eurjcn/zvaa007. PMID: 33620478.
  5. Veghari G, Salehi A, Vaghari M. The comparison of waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio among rural women adults in the North of Iran, between the years 2004 and 2013. ARYA Atheroscler. 2018;14:169-76. DOI: 10.22122/arya.v14i4.1518. PMID: 30627193.
  6. Ghazizadeh H, Rezayi M, Emadzadeh M, et al. Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Cardio-thoracic Med. 2022;10:945-973.
  7. Asghari S, Mohammadzadegan-Tabrizi R, Rafraf M, et al. Prevalence and predictors of iron-deficiency anemia: Women's health perspective at reproductive age in the suburb of dried Urmia Lake, Northwest of Iran. J Educ Health Promot. 2020;9:332. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_166_20. PMID: 33575368.
  8. Divecha CA, Simon MA, Asaad AA, et al. Body Image Perceptions and Body Image Dissatisfaction among Medical Students in Oman. Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2022;22:218-24. DOI: 10.18295/squmj.8.2021.121. PMID: 35673292.
  9. Jiménez-Limas K, Miranda-Barrera VA, Muñoz-Díaz KF, et al. Body dissatisfaction, distorted body image and disordered eating behaviors in university students: an analysis from 2017–2022. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19:11482. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811482. PMID: 36141756.
  10. Alipour B, Abbasalizad Farhangi M, Dehghan P, et al. Body image perception and its association with body mass index and nutrient intakes among female college students aged 18–35 years from Tabriz, Iran. Eat Weight Disord. 2015;20:465-71. DOI: 10.1007/s40519-015-0184-1. PMID: 25701442.
  11. Rafati F, Dehdashti N, Sadeghi A. The relationship between instagram use and body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and internalization of beauty ideals: a correlational study of iranian women. Feminist Media Studies. 2023;23:361-77. DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2021.1979065
  12. Keshavarz P, Shafiee M, Islam N, et al. Prevalence of vitamin-mineral supplement use and associated factors among Canadians: results from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2021;46:1370-7. DOI: 10.1139/apnm-2021-0090. PMID: 34087082.
  13. Islam M, Hasan MT, Al-Fuad MS, et al. Dietary supplements use and associated determinants among adult population in southern Bangladesh. Am J Food Sci Nutr Res. 2018;5:64-70.
  14. Lee YJ, Kang M, Paik HY, et al. Use of dietary supplements and determinants of taking dietary supplements by gender in the Korean population: Using the 4th Korean national health and nutrition examination survey (2007-2009). Korean J Comm Nutr. 2017;22:347-55. DOI: 10.5720/kjcn.2017.22.4.347.
  15. Rovira MA, Grau M, Castañer O, et al. Dietary supplement use and health-related behaviors in a Mediterranean population. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2013;45:386-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2012.03.007. PMID: 23219356.
International Journal of Nutrition Sciences
Volume 10, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
December 2025
Pages 568-576

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics