Qualitative exploration of the factors influencing the use of dietary supplements in Iranian women: introduction to areas of focus for developing interventions

BACKGROUND: Literature shows that the consumption of Dietary Supplements (DS) is more common in Iran. This study aimed to explore the experiences of a sample of Iranian women regarding the factors influencing the use of DS. METHODS: This qualitative content analysis study was conducted in Qods city, Tehran province, Iran from January to March 2020. Forty-two semi-structured in-depth interviews were performed with women. The participants were asked about their experiences about the determinants of the consumption of DS. After the first round of the interviews was done, we performed content analysis of the data and continued up to data saturation. RESULTS: Two main themes including personal factors (with 5 subthemes including sociodemographic characteristics, perceived benefits of DS, history of illness, physiological conditions, and lifestyle factors) and socio-economic factors (with 3 subthemes including subjective norms, the price of food and commercial considerations of the sectors involved in the production and sale of DS) emerged as the experiences of the participants as to the intake of DS. CONCLUSIONS: These variables may suggest areas which need to be focused on for performing more effective interventions to affect appropriate consumption of DS in Iran.