J Korean Med Sci.  2012 May;27(5):512-517. 10.3346/jkms.2012.27.5.512.

Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use in Korean Children and Adolescents: Insights from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2009

• Yoon JY
• Park HA
• Kang JH
• Kim KW
• Hur YI
• Park JJ
• Lee R
• Lee HH

• KMID: 1372793
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2012.27.5.512

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dietary supplement (DS) use in Korean children and adolescents and to examine the related factors associated with DS use from the 4th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Total 6,131 participants aged between 2 and 18 yr were included in the analysis. We estimated the prevalence of DS use mainly from the DS questionnaire data of the Nutrition Survey. Reported supplements were classified according to the Health Functional Food Code. We also assessed the relationship between DS use and anthropometry, socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and chronic diseases. Approximately 34% of Korean children and adolescent was taking DS. Younger age (P = 0.003), higher household income (P < 0.001), presence of chronic diseases (P = 0.05), regular meal consumption (P = 0.002), frequent snack consumption (P = 0.001), and normal body mass index rather than overweight (P = 0.10) or obesity (P = 0.03) were associated with the DS use after adjustment for related factors. Vitamin/mineral supplements (343.5/103 persons) were the most commonly taken DS in Korean children and adolescents, followed by Omega-3 (28.8), ginseng (18.3), colostrums (14.1) and chlorella/spirulina (10.0). In conclusion, DS use is common as much as in 34% of Korean children and adolescents and is associated with age, household income level, chronic diseases, meal regularity, and obesity status.

Keyword

Dietary Supplements; Child; Adolescent; Korean

MeSH Terms

Adolescent
Body Mass Index
Child
Child, Preschool
Chronic Disease
*Dietary Supplements
Female
Health Behavior
Humans
Male
*Nutrition Surveys
Obesity/epidemiology
Overweight
Prevalence
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Socioeconomic Factors

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Prevalence of dietary supplement use by age. The prevalence was estimated based on the Dietary Supplement Questionnaire from the Nutrition Survey, which questioned whether dietary supplement(s) was (were) consumed for longer than 2 weeks during the previous one year.

Reference

1. Park JS, Lee JH. Elementary school children's intake patterns of health functional foods and parent's requirements in Daejeon Area. Korean J Community Nutr. 2008. 13:463–475.

2. Kim SH, Han JH, Kim WY. Health functional food use and related variables among the middle-aged in Korea. Korean J Nutr. 2010. 43:294–303.

3. Kim EM, Jung HJ, Jeong JW, Kim JW. Analysis of elementary students' intake of dietary supplements. Korean J Food Cookery Sci. 2008. 24:672–681.

4. Ulbricht C, Chao W, Costa D, Rusie-Seamon E, Weissner W, Woods J. Clinical evidence of herb-drug interactions: a systematic review by the natural standard research collaboration. Curr Drug Metab. 2008. 9:1063–1120.

5. Kleinman RE, editor. Pediatric nutrition handbook. 2003. 5th ed. Elk Grove Village, ILL: American Academy of Pediatrics;125.

6. Kim SH, Han JH, Keen CL. Vitamin and mineral supplement use by healthy teenagers in Korea: motivating factors and dietary consequences. Nutrition. 2001. 17:373–380.

7. Kim SH, Han JH, Zhu QY, Keen CL. Use of vitamins, minerals, and other dietary supplements by 17- and 18-year-old students in Korea. J Med Food. 2003. 6:27–42.

8. Lee JY, Jang YA, Moon JJ, Lee HS, Lee HJ, Lee Y, Kim DH, Koh E, Lee HY, Yoon HS, et al. Children's vitamins and minerals intake from dietary supplements in Korea. FASEB J. 2010. 24:lb345.

9. 2007 Korean children and adolescents growth standard. Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention & The Korean Pediatric Society. accessed on 3 Feburary 2012. Available at http://www.cdc.go.kr/.

10. Korean Nutrition Society. 2010 dietary reference intakes for Koreans. Seoul: Korean Nutrition Society;25–46.

11. Health Functional Foods Act, Articles III, Rules one. accessed on 17 March 2012. Available at http://hfoodi.kfda.go.kr/laws.

12. Health Functional Food Code 2010-7 (18 Feburary 2010). Korea Food & Drug Administration. accessed on 17 March 2012. Available at http://hfoodi.kfda.go.kr/laws.

13. Picciano MF, Dwyer JT, Radimer KL, Wilson DH, Fisher KD, Thomas PR, Yetley EA, Moshfegh AJ, Levy PS, Nielsen SJ, et al. Dietary supplement use among infants, children, and adolescents in the United States, 1999-2002. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007. 161:978–985.

14. Bell A, Dorsch KD, McCreary DR, Hovey R. A look at nutritional supplement use in adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2004. 34:508–516.

15. Sichert-Hellert W, Kersting M. Vitamin and mineral supplements use in German children and adolescents between 1986 and 2003: results of the DONALD Study. Ann Nutr Metab. 2004. 48:414–419.

16. Yi HH, Park HA, Kang JH, Kang JH, Kim KW, Cho YG, Song HR, Lee JS. What types of dietary supplements are used in Korea? Data from the Korean National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 2005. Korean J Fam Med. 2009. 30:934–943.

17. Yu SM, Kogan MD, Gergen P. Vitamin-mineral supplement use among preschool children in the United States. Pediatrics. 1997. 100:E4.

18. Shaikh U, Byrd RS, Auinger P. Vitamin and mineral supplement use by children and adolescents in the 1999-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: relationship with nutrition, food security, physical activity, and health care access. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009. 163:150–157.

19. Radimer K, Bindewald B, Hughes J, Ervin B, Swanson C, Picciano MF. Dietary supplement use by US adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2000. Am J Epidemiol. 2004. 160:339–349.

20. Kim SH. Patterns of vitamin / mineral supplements usage among the middle-aged in Korea. Korean J Nutr. 1994. 27:236–252.

21. Vernacchio L, Kelly JP, Kaufman DW, Mitchell AA. Vitamin, fluoride, and iron use among US children younger than 12 years of age: results from the Slone Survey 1998-2007. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011. 111:285–289.

22. Hong CY. Pediatrics. 2008. 9th ed. Seoul: Daehankyokwaseo;74–102.

23. Kim HS, Lee CY, Lee TW, Ham OK. Health problems and health behaviors of preschoolers. J Korean Acad Nurs. 2004. 34:182–190.

24. Kim YJ, Mun JA, Min H. Supplement dose and health-related life style of vitamin-mineral supplement user among Korean middle-aged. Korean J Community Nutr. 2004. 9:303–314.

25. Innis SM. Dietary (n-3) fatty acids and brain development. J Nutr. 2007. 137:855–859.

26. Sohn M. Treatment effects of red ginseng extracts in asthma. Korean J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010. 30:12–13.

27. Playford RJ, Macdonald CE, Johnson WS. Colostrum and milk-derived peptide growth factors for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000. 72:5–14.

28. Korea Food & Drug Administration. 2009 food & drug statistical yearbook. 2009. Seoul: Korea Food & Drug Administration;197–224.

29. The 2nd wave plan for the deveolopment of Korean oriental medicine. Ministry of Health and Welfare. accessed on 3 Feburary 2012. Available at http://www.mw.go.kr/front/mw_sch/index.jsp.

30. Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea Health Industry Development Institute. The Third Korea National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES III), 2005 - Nutrition Survey (I). 2006. Ministry of Health and Wellfare, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.