Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities

Traversi Deborah; Gorrasi Ilaria; Galis Veronica; Biorci Felicina; Siliquini Roberta; Gilli Giorgio

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19

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Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities

Traversi Deborah, Gorrasi Ilaria, Galis Veronica, Biorci Felicina, Siliquini Roberta, Gilli Giorgio

Published in International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 2)

Received: 14 January 2014 Published: 28 February 2014

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Abstract

Attention to personal health and to healthy lifestyles has increased in recent decades among the population of industrialised countries. Various phenomena are linked to this change, such as the proliferation of fitness and wellness centres, the increased consumption of organic food and the extended use of dietary supplements. Food supplementation has become popular, as has the attention to the nutritional aspects of dietary behaviour. The use of dietary supplements is generally more common between people with higher socioeconomic status, healthier lifestyle habits, higher education level and lower body mass index (BMI), furthermore is more common in women than in men. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of use of food supplements in a group of university students, correlating the use with indicators of healthy lifestyles generally associated with the consumption, such as BMI, dietary habits and sport activity. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by 145 voluntary students, attending the university in the city of Turin, North of Italy, belonging to areas of sport, biologic and medical sciences. The questionnaire included questions related to personal information, dietary attitudes and supplement consumption. 45.1% of the students reported the use of supplements. Vitamins/minerals and sport supplements were the most commonly consumed and were taken mainly to improve sport performance or to improve health. No relevant differences between supplement consumers and non consumers were seen in relation to healthy behaviours and to gender or anthropometric characteristics, except for a lower BMI in male supplement consumers and a higher consume of specific sport supplements in male with very intense sport activity.

Published in	International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences (Volume 3, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19
Page(s)	73-78
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Dietary Supplements, Consumption Survey, Dietary Behaviour, University Population

References

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APA Style

Traversi Deborah, Gorrasi Ilaria, Galis Veronica, Biorci Felicina, Siliquini Roberta, et al. (2014). Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 3(2), 73-78. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19

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ACS Style

Traversi Deborah; Gorrasi Ilaria; Galis Veronica; Biorci Felicina; Siliquini Roberta, et al. Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2014, 3(2), 73-78. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19

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AMA Style

Traversi Deborah, Gorrasi Ilaria, Galis Veronica, Biorci Felicina, Siliquini Roberta, et al. Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2014;3(2):73-78. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19,
  author = {Traversi Deborah and Gorrasi Ilaria and Galis Veronica and Biorci Felicina and Siliquini Roberta and Gilli Giorgio},
  title = {Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {2},
  pages = {73-78},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20140302.19},
  abstract = {Attention to personal health and to healthy lifestyles has increased in recent decades among the population of industrialised countries. Various phenomena are linked to this change, such as the proliferation of fitness and wellness centres, the increased consumption of organic food and the extended use of dietary supplements. Food supplementation has become popular, as has the attention to the nutritional aspects of dietary behaviour. The use of dietary supplements is generally more common between people with higher socioeconomic status, healthier lifestyle habits, higher education level and lower body mass index (BMI), furthermore is more common in women than in men. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of use of food supplements in a group of university students, correlating the use with indicators of healthy lifestyles generally associated with the consumption, such as BMI, dietary habits and sport activity. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by 145 voluntary students, attending the university in the city of Turin, North of Italy, belonging to areas of sport, biologic and medical sciences. The questionnaire included questions related to personal information, dietary attitudes and supplement consumption. 45.1% of the students reported the use of supplements. Vitamins/minerals and sport supplements were the most commonly consumed and were taken mainly to improve sport performance or to improve health. No relevant differences between supplement consumers and non consumers were seen in relation to healthy behaviours and to gender or anthropometric characteristics, except for a lower BMI in male supplement consumers and a higher consume of specific sport supplements in male with very intense sport activity.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities
AU  - Traversi Deborah
AU  - Gorrasi Ilaria
AU  - Galis Veronica
AU  - Biorci Felicina
AU  - Siliquini Roberta
AU  - Gilli Giorgio
Y1  - 2014/02/28
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19
T2  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
SP  - 73
EP  - 78
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2716
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19
AB  - Attention to personal health and to healthy lifestyles has increased in recent decades among the population of industrialised countries. Various phenomena are linked to this change, such as the proliferation of fitness and wellness centres, the increased consumption of organic food and the extended use of dietary supplements. Food supplementation has become popular, as has the attention to the nutritional aspects of dietary behaviour. The use of dietary supplements is generally more common between people with higher socioeconomic status, healthier lifestyle habits, higher education level and lower body mass index (BMI), furthermore is more common in women than in men. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of use of food supplements in a group of university students, correlating the use with indicators of healthy lifestyles generally associated with the consumption, such as BMI, dietary habits and sport activity. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by 145 voluntary students, attending the university in the city of Turin, North of Italy, belonging to areas of sport, biologic and medical sciences. The questionnaire included questions related to personal information, dietary attitudes and supplement consumption. 45.1% of the students reported the use of supplements. Vitamins/minerals and sport supplements were the most commonly consumed and were taken mainly to improve sport performance or to improve health. No relevant differences between supplement consumers and non consumers were seen in relation to healthy behaviours and to gender or anthropometric characteristics, except for a lower BMI in male supplement consumers and a higher consume of specific sport supplements in male with very intense sport activity.
VL  - 3
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Traversi Deborah

Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, Università di Torino UNITO, piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Turin, Italy
Gorrasi Ilaria

Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, Università di Torino UNITO, piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Turin, Italy
Galis Veronica

Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, Università di Torino UNITO, piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Turin, Italy
Biorci Felicina

Centro di Medicina Preventiva e dello Sport SUISM, Piazza Bernini 12, 10100 Turin, Italy
Siliquini Roberta

Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, Università di Torino UNITO, piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Turin, Italy
Gilli Giorgio

Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, Università di Torino UNITO, piazza Polonia 94, 10126, Turin, Italy

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APA Style

Traversi Deborah, Gorrasi Ilaria, Galis Veronica, Biorci Felicina, Siliquini Roberta, et al. (2014). Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences, 3(2), 73-78. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19

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ACS Style

Traversi Deborah; Gorrasi Ilaria; Galis Veronica; Biorci Felicina; Siliquini Roberta, et al. Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities. Int. J. Nutr. Food Sci. 2014, 3(2), 73-78. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19

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AMA Style

Traversi Deborah, Gorrasi Ilaria, Galis Veronica, Biorci Felicina, Siliquini Roberta, et al. Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities. Int J Nutr Food Sci. 2014;3(2):73-78. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19

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@article{10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19,
  author = {Traversi Deborah and Gorrasi Ilaria and Galis Veronica and Biorci Felicina and Siliquini Roberta and Gilli Giorgio},
  title = {Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities},
  journal = {International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences},
  volume = {3},
  number = {2},
  pages = {73-78},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijnfs.20140302.19},
  abstract = {Attention to personal health and to healthy lifestyles has increased in recent decades among the population of industrialised countries. Various phenomena are linked to this change, such as the proliferation of fitness and wellness centres, the increased consumption of organic food and the extended use of dietary supplements. Food supplementation has become popular, as has the attention to the nutritional aspects of dietary behaviour. The use of dietary supplements is generally more common between people with higher socioeconomic status, healthier lifestyle habits, higher education level and lower body mass index (BMI), furthermore is more common in women than in men. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of use of food supplements in a group of university students, correlating the use with indicators of healthy lifestyles generally associated with the consumption, such as BMI, dietary habits and sport activity. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by 145 voluntary students, attending the university in the city of Turin, North of Italy, belonging to areas of sport, biologic and medical sciences. The questionnaire included questions related to personal information, dietary attitudes and supplement consumption. 45.1% of the students reported the use of supplements. Vitamins/minerals and sport supplements were the most commonly consumed and were taken mainly to improve sport performance or to improve health. No relevant differences between supplement consumers and non consumers were seen in relation to healthy behaviours and to gender or anthropometric characteristics, except for a lower BMI in male supplement consumers and a higher consume of specific sport supplements in male with very intense sport activity.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Dietary Supplement Use among a Population of University Students in Italy: Correlations with BMI, Dietary Habits and Sport Activities
AU  - Traversi Deborah
AU  - Gorrasi Ilaria
AU  - Galis Veronica
AU  - Biorci Felicina
AU  - Siliquini Roberta
AU  - Gilli Giorgio
Y1  - 2014/02/28
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19
T2  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JF  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
JO  - International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences
SP  - 73
EP  - 78
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2716
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijnfs.20140302.19
AB  - Attention to personal health and to healthy lifestyles has increased in recent decades among the population of industrialised countries. Various phenomena are linked to this change, such as the proliferation of fitness and wellness centres, the increased consumption of organic food and the extended use of dietary supplements. Food supplementation has become popular, as has the attention to the nutritional aspects of dietary behaviour. The use of dietary supplements is generally more common between people with higher socioeconomic status, healthier lifestyle habits, higher education level and lower body mass index (BMI), furthermore is more common in women than in men. In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalence of use of food supplements in a group of university students, correlating the use with indicators of healthy lifestyles generally associated with the consumption, such as BMI, dietary habits and sport activity. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by 145 voluntary students, attending the university in the city of Turin, North of Italy, belonging to areas of sport, biologic and medical sciences. The questionnaire included questions related to personal information, dietary attitudes and supplement consumption. 45.1% of the students reported the use of supplements. Vitamins/minerals and sport supplements were the most commonly consumed and were taken mainly to improve sport performance or to improve health. No relevant differences between supplement consumers and non consumers were seen in relation to healthy behaviours and to gender or anthropometric characteristics, except for a lower BMI in male supplement consumers and a higher consume of specific sport supplements in male with very intense sport activity.
VL  - 3
IS  - 2
ER  -

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