Vitamin-mineral supplement use among US women, 2000.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of vitamin-mineral supplement use and its association with sociodemographic, health status, and health behavior characteristics in a nationally representative sample of US women.

Methods: We analyzed the cancer supplement file of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey, which included 11,888 non-Hispanic white, 2866 non-Hispanic black, 3035 Hispanic, and 599 non-Hispanic other women. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between sociodemographic, health status, and health behavior characteristics and the use of selected vitamin-mineral supplements.

Results: Nearly 60% of US women took at least one supplement in 2000. Logistic regression showed that women who were non-Hispanic white, married, older, more educated, not poor, former smokers, alcohol users, and regular exercisers were significantly more likely to take the most commonly reported vitamin-mineral supplements. Women who were obese or overweight and women who had not had contact with a health professional in the past 12 months were less likely to use supplements.

Conclusion: Our study suggests high levels of vitamin-mineral supplement use among US women. Supplement use was generally associated with a healthier lifestyle and more resources. Our data suggest the need for public health education on the benefits of age- and health-appropriate use of supplements.