Table 4.
Qualitative results from focus group discussions’ newly identified themes among users and non-users of dietary supplements, Maastricht, the Netherlands, 2014–2015
| Main themes | Sub-theme | Quotes from dietary supplement users | Quotes from non-users of dietary supplements |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATTITUDE TOWARDS HEALTH PROFESSIONAL AND/OR DIETITIAN | |||
| A | Positive attitude, trust | ‘I trust my general practitioner and also the dietitian, but I am a very critical person.’ | ‘When I do not feel well I am more inclined to go to a [health] professional like “I do not feel well (…) how come?” And then you can decide to take something against it [illness].’ |
| B | Negative attitude, distrust | ‘Very often it [advice on diet] is done at a general level (…). The person [dietitian] keeps giving the same advice while perhaps someone is sitting in front of you who perhaps needs something totally different. (…) I know more about it [diet] than the person on the opposite side of the table. And that person suggests things, which [food pyramid] are old old-fashioned.’ | NA |
| ‘I never consult with a dietitian. I would have an argument with them immediately. Simply because, generally speaking, I do not agree with their recommendations.’ | |||
| QUALITY/SAFETY OF FOOD, PRACTICES OF FOOD INDUSTRY | |||
| C | Positive attitude | NA | Better supply: ‘Nowadays, if you look around you see how many cherry tomatoes or mini-cucumbers or salads people eat in the afternoon. In my opinion, you have more opportunities to eat healthily than about 50 years ago when the supply was more restricted. Then you had only vegetables of the actual season.’ |
| ‘I think that the supply of food, including industrial food, is quite good and it is rich enough in minerals, and is very low in harmful substances on the surface.’ | |||
| Quality of food is good enough: ‘I think too that in certain cases it could be that it is less [micronutrients in food], but you have to ask yourself: is the amount that much less (…) that I get nothing or not enough [of micronutrients from food]?’ | |||
| D | Negative attitude | Poor quality of food: ‘It is awful what they sell in supermarkets. For example, spinach is full of some kind of substance to let it grow better. I do not eat spinach anymore because it is such a mess.’ | NA |
| ‘If you make a comparison between now and 100 years ago … for example in our spinach – there are less nutrients than 100 years ago.’ | |||
| Poor practices of food industry: ‘I think the ground can become depleted. If the ground is depleted, then you get fewer minerals from it [ground].’ | |||
NA, not applicable.
Words in capitals are the main themes of the group discussions. A–D are sub-themes of the main themes. Words in bold font are dimensions of the sub-themes.