Consumo de suplementos nutricionais por estudantes do Centro de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade Federal da Paraíba

Abstract

Formerly the supplements were mainly used by athletes, but with the passage of time it became popular among people who practice some type of physical exercise and like the practicality that they offer. The main objective of this study is to verify the consumption of nutritional supplements by university students of the Health Science Center of the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB). A transversal and descriptive study was carried out, involving 80 students, for convenience, carried out with college students enrolled in the health courses of the Health Science Center of UFPB, of both sexes and aged between 18-25 years through the application of a questionnaire containing 11 objective and subjective questions, inherent to the research objectives. The questionnaires were identified by protocols to ensure greater safety of participants. The university students who accepted to participate in the research signed the Term of Free and Informed Consent, allowing the data to be used for research purposes. Among those interviewed, 40.3% reported not practicing any type of physical exercise, the other 59.7% of the participants stated that they performed physical activities. When questioned about the use of supplements, it was seen that 14.3% used nutritional supplements, being the male who makes greater use of supplements (54.55%). Among the supplements cited by practitioners, the main ones are Whey protein (n = 9), creatine (n = 4) and BCAA (n = 4). The main reason to start supplementation was the desire to gain lean mass. Regarding the indication of dietary supplements, the interviewees mentioned the selfreferral, the nutritionist, and the indication of friends. There are still few studies on the consumption of food supplements by university students, however it was possible to analyze that the results found in the majority corroborate with previous researches done with university students and academics. There was also a need to educate the public about the use of supplements, their potential health hazards when used improperly, and especially about the importance of a nutritionist as a source of supplementation.