Abstract

CHIN, Ângela Lee; VICENTE, Ana Filipa  and  LOURENCO, Olena. Consumption of «natural products» and «dietary supplements» in a Family Healthcare Unit: an exploratory study. Rev Port Med Geral Fam [online]. 2019, vol.35, n.1, pp.30-36. ISSN 2182-5173.  https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v35i1.12168.

Introduction: The consumption of «natural products» (NP) and «dietary supplements» (DS) has increased in popularity. Studies on the consumption of these products are important because there are few national data, and the population is usually unware of the associated risks. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of NP/DS consumption in the Arruda Family Healthcare Unit. Additionally, it was aimed to socio-demographically characterise the consumers of these products, their consumption habits, and to verify if there is an association with gender, age, schooling and marital status. Type of study: Observational, cross-sectional and descriptive. Setting: Arruda Family Healthcare Unit. Population: Adult users enrolled in Arruda Family Healthcare Unit. Methods: Data were collected using a non-randomised convenience sample, between October 1 and November 30, 2016. An anonymous, confidential and voluntary questionnaire was applied. Data were coded, recorded and analyzed in SPSS®. Results: There were 351 valid questionnaires. Amongst the respondents, 68.9% were women, 72.9% were aged between 31 and 75 years old, 50.7% had six or less years of schooling, and 50.9% were married or lived as a couple. 91.2% reported consuming or having consumed NP/DS in the last six months. Of these, 64.7% consumed one or two NP/DS, and 75.9% did so daily. Analysing the association between NP/DS consumption and the studied variables, it was concluded that were association with all variables but gender. Conclusions: The results of this study point to a high prevalence of NP/DS consumption in Arruda Family Healthcare Unit. Given the relevance of this issue and the fact that there are few current studies in this area, we consider that it would be pertinent to carry out more robust investigations, ideally that could be representative of the national landscape.

Keywords : Natural products; Dietary supplementations; Family physician.

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