General public knowledge and use of dietary supplements in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

CONTEXT: Dietary supplements is a growing industry, pharmaceuticals are having several types of similar supplements and multivitamins as over-the-counter products, a complete diet is necessary for a healthy body which leads to the usage of supplements or multivitamins complementing diets as needed, therefore leading to its encouraged usage among the population worldwide. AIMS: The study was aimed to determine the public's knowledge and their use of dietary supplements. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the general public of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The sample consisted of 679 participants including 41% males and 59% females. The ethnicity of the participants is 100% Arabs. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: SPSS. RESULTS: The sociodemographic data showed there were more female participants than males (59.1% vs. 40.9%), most of our participants had at least bachelor degree (64.4%), most of our participants had normal BMI (62.3%). 88.5% had knowledge on supplements and only 11.5% stated they were not aware at all. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary supplements and multivitamins consumption is prevalent among Saudi Arabian population. Our study suggests the majority of consumers understand the supportive role of dietary supplements and are aware of risks and side effects.