Retrospective Self-reported Dietary Supplement Use by Australian Military Personnel during Deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan: Results from the Middle East Area of Operations Health Study

The use of dietary supplements is popular among military personnel. There is a lack of understanding about the changes in use during deployment and specific factors associated with such changes. This study retrospectively examined the changes in the pattern of supplement use among Australian veterans during their deployment to Iraq (n = 8,848) and Afghanistan (n = 6,507) between 2001 and 2009 and identified work-related circumstances that were associated with these changes. The frequency of use of supplements at present and during deployment was assessed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to compare the use of supplements between different groups and between those with different deployment experiences. The study found that overall use of supplements was highest on deployment to Afghanistan (27.8%) compared to in Iraq (22.0%, pThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author