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Dietary supplements: Prevalence of use in the New Zealand population
Author(s) -
PARNELL Winsome R.,
WILSON Noela C.,
SMITH Claire
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1747-0080
pISSN - 1446-6368
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2006.00110.x
Subject(s) - medicine , ethnic group , dietary supplement , demography , population , young adult , pediatrics , cross sectional study , gerontology , environmental health , food science , chemistry , pathology , sociology , anthropology
Objective: To determine prevalence of dietary supplement use in New Zealand and to describe types of supplements used. Design: Secondary data analysis of two cross‐sectional national surveys. Subjects: In total, 3275 children aged 5–14 years, 4636 adults aged 15+ years. Setting: Homes throughout New Zealand. Main outcome measures: Prevalence data over 24 hours (children and adults) and over previous year (adults only), type of supplements consumed, pattern of dietary supplement use. Results: Adults (24.2%) were more likely than children (5.4%) to consume any dietary supplement in the previous 24 hours. Over the previous year 59% of adults had consumed at least one supplement. Adult females were more frequent consumers than males both in the previous year (67.6%, 50.4%) and in the previous 24 hours (30.5%, 17.8%). Multivitamins and minerals were the type most frequently consumed by adults (19.8%) and children (2.1%). Older adults, compared with younger adults, are more likely to consume supplements daily and less likely to consume an individual supplement for a limited time. Conclusions: The prevalence of use of dietary supplements of a population differs markedly depending on the duration of the period over which use of a supplement is recalled. In New Zealand adults, prevalence of use was 2.4 times higher recalling some use over the previous year, than when recalling use in the previous 24 hours. Use varied by age for adults and by ethnicity among adults and children.