Sociodemographic differences in the use of dietary supplements in a representative sample of adults in Poland-a...

Dietary supplements are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals, or other substances with nutritional or physiological effects. This study aimed to assess sociodemographic differences in the use of dietary supplements in a representative sample of adults in Poland.

This is a secondary analysis of a dataset generated during the representative cross-sectional survey (December 2024) carried out among 5,006 adults aged 18-64 years in Poland. Attitudes towards the use of dietary supplements were assessed.

Among all respondents (n = 5,006), 39.1% reported regular use of dietary supplements in the 3 months preceding the present study, and another 31.5% reported occasional use. Among those who used supplements in the 3 months preceding the study, 11.4% had all of their supplements prescribed by a doctor, and another 22.7% had some of them. The highest prevalence of dietary supplement use was among those following a low-carbohydrate diet (58.4% regular and 27.9% occasional use), and the lowest among those who reported not paying much attention to their diet (24.9% regular and 32.2% occasional use). In multivariable logistic regression, female gender, younger age, secondary educational level, place of residence (living in cites <100,000 residents of cities > = 500,000 residents), having at least 3 infections per year, lack of significant interest in own diet, and diet with restrictions on carbohydrate intake were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with higher odd of the regular use of dietary supplements in the last 3 months preceding the survey.

This study revealed that the majority of working-age adults in Poland use dietary supplements, but only one-third of dietary supplement users consult with a doctor. Gender, age, educational level, place of residence, health status, and diet-related behaviors were significantly associated with attitudes towards the use of dietary supplements. There is a need for educational activities in the field of nutritional education and building public awareness about the indications for the use of dietary supplements.