Vitamin beliefs and consumption of vitamin supplements among university students in the city of Sao Paulo.

A survey was conducted in a sample of 894 students entering a private university in Sao Paulo to examine the vitamin beliefs and to verify the relation between vitamin beliefs and vitamin supplements consumption. Nineteen statements about the relation between vitamins and health were developed to assess the beliefs; the respondents answered by means of a 5-point agreement scale. Cronbach's alpha coefficient of internal consistency was determined for the total scale. 94.5% of students believe that vitamin C prevents and cures the common cold and 72.5% consider vitamins as an energy source. Many students recognize the possibility of health risks associated to excessive vitamin consumption. Vitamin supplement users had a belief score higher than non-users (p<0.001). The results indicate that several misconceptions about vitamin benefits are common among the students and suggest a relation between vitamin beliefs and supplements consumption.52324124

Use of vitamin supplements among university students in Sao Paulo, Brazil

With the purpose of determining the prevalence of vitamin consumption, a survey was conducted in a sample of 894 private university freshmen in Sap Paulo. It revealed that 30.4% of the students consumed vitamin supplements within the preceeding 3 months-23.1% on a regular basis ans 6.0% sporadically. Vitamin C and multivitamin supplements were the most consumed products. The regular consumption of vitamin supplements was related to the frequency of physical exercise. "To stay healthy" was the most cited reason for supplementaion.36225025