DIETARY SUPPLEMENT USE AND DETERMINANTS AMONG THE ELDERLY IN THE KETA MUNICIPAL AREA

ABSTRACT
Dietary Supplements use has been found to be increasing among the adults especially the older adults in the developed countries. However, there are no known studies on dietary supplement use among the elderly in Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional study was
conducted to determine patterns of dietary supplement use and determinants among the elderly in the Keta municipal area, Volta region. This involved a one-time data collection on socio-demographic and health characteristic and also use of supplements, using a
questionnaire. Study participants included 580 male and female elderly (65 years+) residing in the Keta Municipal. A multistage sampling technique was used in selecting the study participants. Analysis included descriptive statistics of the socio-demographic and health information and Chi square test to compare proportions. Logistic regression analysis was also done to determine relationship between independent variables and use of supplements. Results showed that multivitamins were the most commonly used dietary
supplements used (41.74%) and a total of 242 (41.72%) of the 580 respondents in this study reported using at least one dietary or herbal supplements in the past week.  A considerable 17.77% use herbal supplements. While a greater proportion reported using
the supplement daily, dietary supplement use was more likely to be predicted by urban residency (p=0.001). There was no significant difference between proportions of supplements users regarding the type of supplement being used and demographic characteristics but a significantly high proportion of the elderly with at least one diagnosis of chronic illness use daily (p=0.04).