Dietary supplements: a great menace of our time or golden remedy? A cross-sectional study among school-aged children

Introduction
Dietary supplements (DS) are commonly used as a remedy for various health issues as they are widely advertised and available.

Aim
This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of DS use among school-aged children in Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. Additionally, we evaluated the parents’ motivations for DS administration, the frequency of the use of specific compounds and the influence of child’s history of allergy on DS use.

Material and methods
Children aged 6–7 years who attended the first grade of primary schools in Warsaw were included into the study. Forty-two out of 170 primary schools in Warsaw were randomly selected of which 38 agreed to participate. The research tool was a self-administered questionnaire.

Results
Half of the studied children received DS in the previous 6 months. Fatty acids were the most commonly administered DS (49.8%). The most common reason for administering DS was prevention of diseases (69.1%). The total household income correlated positively with the DS use. History of food allergy was one of the factors which increased the risk of DS use, whereas diagnosis of asthma did not correlate with a higher frequency of DS use.

Conclusions
This study shows the need to educate patients about medical indications for DS use and expected benefits in the specific indications.