Prevalence and Perceptions of Dietary Supplement Use Among Nepalese Gym-Users: An Observational Study.

Approximately one-third of gym users in the Lamjung District of Nepal reported consuming dietary supplements.

• 70 out of 214 gym users surveyed (32.71%) reported consuming dietary supplements.
• The study was conducted from December 16, 2020, to January 13, 2021.
• Data were collected using a structured questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) framework.
• The study was observational and cross-sectional in design.

Protein and amino acids were the most commonly used type of dietary supplement among supplement consumers.

• 49 out of 70 supplement consumers (70%) used protein and amino acids.
• This was the most frequently reported supplement category among gym users.

Muscle mass enhancement was the primary motivation for dietary supplement use among gym users.

• 62 out of 70 supplement users (88.57%) cited muscle mass enhancement as their primary motivation.
• Increasing strength and power was the second most common motivation, reported by 46 users (65.71%).

Peers were the dominant source of influence for supplement use, while advertisements had minimal influence.

• 48 out of 70 supplement users (68.57%) reported being influenced by peers.
• Only 3 users (4.29%) reported that advertisements influenced their supplement use.
• The findings indicate peer influence outweighed expert guidance in supplement decision-making.

A substantial proportion of gym users believed dietary supplements could contribute to cancer and that Nepal lacks effective quality control for these products.

• 141 out of 214 gym users (65.89%) believed supplements could contribute to cancer.
• 126 out of 214 gym users (58.88%) agreed that Nepal lacks effective quality control for dietary supplement products.

Supplement users were predominantly male students aged 23–28 years.

• The demographic profile of supplement consumers was mostly male students aged 23–28.
• This demographic pattern was identified through descriptive statistical analysis of the survey data.

Gym users perceived high benefits but low health risks from dietary supplement use.

• The Health Belief Model framework was used to assess perceptions of supplement use.
• Despite awareness that supplements could contribute to cancer (65.89%), users overall perceived benefits as outweighing risks.
• Expert guidance had less influence on supplement use decisions compared to peer influence.