Prevalence, Adverse Events, and Factors Associated with Dietary Supplement and Nutritional Supplement Use by US Navy and Marine Corps Personnel

Abstract

About 50% of Americans and 60% to 70% of US military personnel use dietary supplements, some of which have been associated with adverse events (AEs). Nutritional supplements like sport drinks and sport bars/gels are also commonly used by athletes and service members. Previous dietary supplement and nutritional supplement surveys were conducted on Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard personnel.Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate dietary and nutritional supplement use in Navy and Marine Corps personnel, including the prevalence, types, factors associated with use, and AEs. Design: A random sample of 10,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel were contacted. Service members were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire describing their personal characteristics, supplement use, and AEs experienced. Conclusions: The prevalence of dietary supplement use in Navy and Marine Corps personnel was considerably higher than reported in civilian investigations for almost all types of dietary supplements, although similar to most other military services. Factors associated with dietary supplement use were similar to those reported in previous military and civilian investigations. Prevalence of self-reported AEs was very high, especially for combination products.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 12, 2016
Accession Number
AD1028094

Entities

People

  • Daniel W. Trone
  • Emily K. Farina
  • Harris R Lieberman
  • Joseph J Knapik
  • Krista G. Austin
  • Ryan A. Steelman

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Body Weight
  • Coast Guard
  • Coast Guard Personnel
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Dietary Supplements
  • Health Services
  • Information Science
  • Marine Corps Personnel
  • Meals
  • Medical Personnel
  • Military Personnel
  • Personnel Management
  • Public Health
  • Statistical Samples
  • Surveys

Fields of Study

  • Medicine

Readers

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