Prevalence of dietary supplement use and associated health risks in collegiate athletes

Includes bibliographical references (pages 77-89)Dietary supplement intake has become more frequent in the U.S. since the passing of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 and are especially popular among collegiate athletes. Unfortunately, potential risks associated with supplement intake pose threats to an athlete???s health, and unlabeled banned substances in supplements may produce positive drug tests leading to loss of eligibility. The purpose of this study was to (a) analyze the prevalence of dietary supplement consumption among NCAA collegiate athletes, (b) determine their self-reported levels of knowledge regarding the potential health risks associated with supplement consumption and the NCAA banned substances policies concerning dietary supplements, and (c) identify if any associations exist between these two knowledge levels and the consumption of dietary supplements. In Fall 2014, 288 athletes completed a 13-item survey assessing their knowledge levels of supplement safety and the NCAA banned substances policies, their reasons for consuming supplements, and their sources of information. Chi-square (????) analysis determined that supplement intake did not vary between sport-types (p = 0.963), including sports that use the phosphagen system, anaerobic system, or aerobic system. The frequency of supplement intake among all athletes was 69.3%. Multivariate logistic regression models identified the higher an athlete???s knowledge of dietary supplement safety, the more likely they were to consume supplements (p < 0.001), and the higher their knowledge regarding the NCAA banned substances policies, the more likely they were to consume the supplements (p = 0.045). However, in the model controlling for both knowledge variables, only knowledge of dietary supplement safety emerged as a significant predictor of supplement intake (p < 0.001). This findings suggest a need for better education among collegiate athletes about the possible adverse health risks associated with dietary supplement consumption