Dietary supplement intakes among adults living in Kota Kinabalu during the COVID-19 pandemic: A crosssectional study
https://doi.org/10.31246/mjn-2022-0096
- Author:
Fredrica Li Ling Vun
1
;
Yasmin Beng Houi Ooi
1
;
Ban-Hock Khor
1
Author Information
1. Nutrition Programme, Faculty of Food Science and Nutrition, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
COVID-19, dietary supplement, minerals, vitamins
- From:
Malaysian Journal of Nutrition
2023;29(No.2):285-295
- CountryMalaysia
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Introduction: During the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the public may
seek a non-pharmacological approach, such as dietary supplements, to prevent
or manage COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the use of dietary
supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic among adults in Kota Kinabalu.
Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 213 adults living in Kota Kinabalu
through convenient sampling from October 2021 to March 2022. A validated
questionnaire was used to evaluate their perception on the use of dietary supplements,
and the types of dietary supplements consumed before and during the COVID-19
pandemic. Results: One-hundred sixty-one (75.6%) adults reported that they were
told to consume dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily
from close family members (64.0%) and social media (58.4%). One-hundred and
thirty-two (62%) adults were consuming dietary supplements and 46 (34.8%) of
them only started taking them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The reasons for
taking dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic included enhancing
the immune system (83.6%) and for prevention of COVID-19 infection (64.4%). The
most common dietary supplements consumed during the COVID-19 pandemic
were vitamin C (90.2%), followed by multi-vitamin and mineral (32.6%), and fish
oil (25.8%). After adjusting for age, sex, education level, and income level, KadazanDusun adults were most likely to consume dietary supplements (adjusted odds ratio
= 2.369, 95% CI: 1.070 - 5.248, p=0.034). Conclusion: There was an increase in the
number of adults consuming dietary supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic,
which was likely driven by information sharing via family members and social media.
- Full text:4.2023my0617.pdf
