Assessment for the Use of Nutritional Support in Turkey

Dietary supplement market is growing in Turkey. Local and multinational companies develop and introduce many new products for Turkish dietary supplements market. However, in marketing literature, a few academic researchers could be found regarding Turkish consumers’ behavior about dietary supplements. Understanding the awareness and utilization rates of nutritional support products is important at the point of designing strategies for producers, the state and related organizations. This general exploratory research was carried out in 60 different pharmacies located in different regions of Turkey (Mediterranean, Black Sea, Eastern Anatolia, Southeastern Anatolia, Central Anatolia Region). Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 253 people aged 18 years and over from September 2017 to February 2018 (5 months). The data collected by the questionnaire includes the factors that affect the use of nutritional support products by respondents in the study, the recognition and consumption rates, the product content and how regularly they use it. Respondents were found to use products for immunity (21.03%) at the beginning of their nutritional support products usage. Omega 3 fish oil (26.98%), multivitamins (17.86%) and CoQ10 (7.94%) were the most preferred products. The rate of natural supplements usage by individuals who thought that use of natural supplements is crucial, is around %71.43.. We believe this study will lead to more detailed research on healthy lifestyle market in the future.