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Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town

Thesis (MMed)-- Stellenbosch University, 2015.

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Main Author: Frost, Anna
Other Authors: De Villiers, Pierre
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch 2015
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access_status_str Open Access
author Frost, Anna
author2 De Villiers, Pierre
author_browse De Villiers, Pierre
Frost, Anna
author_facet De Villiers, Pierre
Frost, Anna
author_sort Frost, Anna
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv University of Stellenbosch
description Thesis (MMed)-- Stellenbosch University, 2015.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/97238
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:57.544Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
publisherStr Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/97238 Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town Frost, Anna De Villiers, Pierre University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Health Sciences. Dept. of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Dietary supplements Supplements, Nutritional Vitamins in human nutrition Drugs -- Side effects Thesis (MMed)-- Stellenbosch University, 2015. Background Empirical research on how and why nutritional supplements (including vitamin/mineral supplements and herbal supplements) are being taken by middle-income populations in South Africa is lacking. This study quantifies the types of nutritional supplements being taken. It unpacks beliefs regarding benefits and risks. This information is useful for healthcare practitioners in similar settings as it could affect their practice of history taking and alert practitioners to the need to know more about nutritional supplement benefits and risks. The information could be used to influence policy regarding advertising and labelling of nutritional supplements. Method The study was a cross-sectional survey. An anonymous self-completed structured questionnaire was completed by 123 participants attending a medical centre during the data collection period. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted on 16 participants to gather qualitative information. Results Nutritional supplements were widely taken in this questionnaire sample (59%). Consumption was not related to age, language, ethnic group, education and smoking, but nutritional supplements were more commonly used by women and higher income groups. Women who felt they had fair/poor health, women with chronic medical conditions, especially those with depression or women on chronic prescription medication were more likely to take nutritional supplements than those without these characteristics. Wellness, treating tiredness and short-term disease prevention were the most common reasons for taking the supplements, although research proving these benefits is lacking. Chronic disease prevention was an uncommon reason for consumption. Participants were mostly unaware of possible drug interactions and side-effects and therefore felt it unnecessary to inform their practitioner of consumption habits. Conclusion Healthcare professionals should include a nutritional supplement question in their routine history taking, especially when prescribing chronic medication and in the presence of chronic conditions. They should be knowledgeable regarding efficacy, safety, possible side-effects and drug interactions of commonly consumed nutritional supplements in order to advise patients appropriately. Further empirical research is needed into proven benefits of nutritional supplements. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar 2015-07-23T12:23:10Z 2015-07-23T12:23:10Z 2015-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97238 en_ZA University of Stellenbosch 25 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
spellingShingle Dietary supplements
Supplements, Nutritional
Vitamins in human nutrition
Drugs -- Side effects
Frost, Anna
Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town
title Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town
title_full Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town
title_fullStr Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town
title_full_unstemmed Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town
title_short Determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in Rondebosch East, Cape Town
title_sort determining the practices and beliefs regarding nutritional supplement use in an urban adult population attending a medical centre in rondebosch east cape town
topic Dietary supplements
Supplements, Nutritional
Vitamins in human nutrition
Drugs -- Side effects
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97238
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