Praktické lekárnictvo 1/2017

Use, attitudes and public knowledge towards dietary supplements in Slovakia

Objective of study: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of dietary supplements by the general public in Slovakia and to identify their attitudes and knowledge towards these products. Methods: A questionnaire survey of 256 respondents was conducted in the interval from October to December 2014 by on-line collection. The use of dietary supplements and knowledge of the respondents were evaluated based on whether they agreed with general, safety and efficacy statements regarding dietary supplements. The results were processed descriptively using Microsoft Excel. Results: Up to 64.5% of the respondents use dietary supplements sometimes (49.8%). Pharmacy was the most frequent place for their purchase (55.8%). The main reason for their use is prevention of disease (30.0%) and this particularly concerns the supplements containing vitamins. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents reported having enough information about dietary supplements, with the main information sources being identified as follows: the internet (23.8%), pharmacists (18.6%) and physicians (14.6%). Only 21.5% of the respondents use dietary supplements according to the recommendation of a physician and 11.5% according to that of the pharmacist. As areas with a higher level of knowledge of the respondents were identified the perception of difference between a dietary supplement and a medicine (78.1%), knowledge that a dietary supplement is available without a prescription (72.0 %) and the fact that it is appropriate to consult its use with a specialist (71.3%). Moreover, 58.5% of the respondents knew that a dietary supplement is not a medicine, but only 25.3% of them knew that dietary supplements belong to foods for special nutritional purposes. Thirty-four percent of the respondents considered dietary supplements as completely safe and 19.6% thought that they were effective as medicines. Conclusion: The study found that the use of dietary supplements by the general public in Slovakia is comparable with that in other countries. The evaluation of knowledge showed perceptions and attitudes of the general public towards the efficacy, safety and general characteristics of dietary supplements. Responsible and safe use of dietary supplements, however, requires greater involvement of health care professionals.

Keywords: dietary supplements, knowledge study, attitudes and awareness of general public, pharmacists