Prevalence of natural health product use in healthy postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
Population studies examining dietary supplement use reveal that users are more likely to be women of older age, yet there are few focused studies among postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of natural health product (NHP) use, as well as the attitudes and motivations associated with NHP use, among postmenopausal women.


METHODS
Healthy postmenopausal women were recruited from shopping malls and community centers to complete a questionnaire that collected information regarding use of NHPs; attitudes and motivations about NHPs; and demographic, health, and lifestyle characteristics.


RESULTS
The prevalence of NHP use among the 204 subjects was 83.3%. There were no significant differences in characteristics between NHP users and non-users, with the exception of a lower body mass index among NHP users (P = 0.01). The most commonly consumed NHP was calcium, followed by multivitamins/minerals, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Almost all NHP users (98.8%) believed that NHPs improved their overall health, and most (70.6%) attributed specific positive effects to their NHPs. Three quarters of NHP users believed that their NHPs could not cause adverse effects, and 64.2% believed that their NHPs could not interact negatively with medications. The most common source of NHP information was magazines/books, and 71.8% of NHP users indicated they did not need further information about their NHPs.


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, we found that the prevalence of NHP use among a sample of 204 healthy postmenopausal women was 83.3% and that, apart from body mass index, there were no variables that predicted NHP use.
Daoust
Janice L
JL
Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1.
Mercer
Laura C
LC
Duncan
Alison M
AM
D000368:Aged; D001688:Biological Products / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002170:Canada; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017698:Postmenopause; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D001688:Biological Products