Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes on Dietary Supplement Use: Scale Development and Application Among University Students

Year 2025, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 49 - 59, 15.10.2025

Yusuf Öztürk

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17359201

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate university students' attitudes and understanding about the usage of vitamin and mineral supplements. The study was conducted on 359 students studying at Ardahan University using a cross-sectional descriptive method. Data were collected through a questionnaire, and the validity and reliability of the measurement tool were analyzed. Exploratory Factor Analysis was performed to validate the structure and reliability of the measurement tool, with Cronbach's Alpha values confirming its robustness. For statistical analyses, t-tests and chi-square tests were used. According to the findings, 22.6% of the participants reported using supplements. The most preferred supplements were vitamin B12 (23.7%) and iron (19.8%). The most common reason for supplement use was health protection and improvement (35.9%). Additionally, 33% of the students with adequate knowledge about nutrition used supplements, while only 15.9% of those with inadequate knowledge used supplements (p < .001). These results indicate that the level of awareness significantly affects the use of supplements. The study concludes that awareness levels play a critical role in the use of supplements and highlights the need to increase awareness of healthy nutrition among university students. It emphasizes the importance of educational programs to promote conscious supplement use and healthy eating habits among young adults.

Keywords

dietary supplements , students , vitamins , attitude to health , nutritional status

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