Abstract

In order to investigate the current status of supplements use in the elderly during the last one year, a nationwide survey was conducted in metropolitan areas(6 cities) and middle-sized cities(8 cities). The subjects were 2188(male 765, female 1423) non-institutionalized adults and elderly people aged 50 and over, and information was collected by in-person interviews. Prevalence of supplements use and different types of supplements taken by subjects were examined using SPSS statistical package. Different category of supplements was used by 30.2% of the subjects. On the average, the subjects consumed at least one kind of supplements. Chinese medicine was the most commonly used supplements in both male and female subjects. Among the reasons for using supplements, health promotion ranked the highest, however, most supplement users did not know(35.3%) or knew roughly(48.9%) about the health claims of their supplements. Subjects reported the information source for supplements as family, friends or relatives(43.6%) followed by TV and radio(23.3%). Chinese medicine was most commonly used supplement in male subjects who have chronic diseases(40.7%), and vitamin and mineral supplements were most commonly used by female subjects who have chronic diseases(39.0%). Therefore, these results may provide basic information on different category of supplements used by the middle-aged and elderly,

• Keywords: supplements; use; category; elderly