Perceptions of dietary supplements among older women with diabetes

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the meaning of taking dietary supplements from the perspective of being an older woman with type 2 diabetes.

Nine women over the age of 65 with type 2 diabetes participated in a single, in-depth semistructured interview that focused on use of, views of, and methods of hearing about supplements. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using phenomenological methodology.

Eight of the 9 participants used some form of dietary supplement daily. Respondents described methods of hearing about supplements ranging from their daughters to the media to "people talk." Individual supplements were used primarily to prevent or treat conditions related to aging, such as osteoporosis, arthritis, and vision loss. They were also taken to prevent or lessen conditions associated with diabetes, including heart disease.

The older women with type 2 diabetes in this study used dietary supplements. However, taking supplements was not perceived as a means of controlling blood glucose and, as such, supplements were not taken as part of their diabetes treatment regimen.