Table 2.
The usage of dietary supplements among professional athletes (n = 105).
| Response | % | n |
|---|---|---|
| (1) Do you currently take dietary supplements? | ||
| No | 6.6 | 7 |
| Yes | 93.3 | 98 |
| (2) What is the main reason of using dietary supplements? | ||
| Improve my health | 32.6 | 32 |
| Prevent injury | 9.1 | 9 |
| Recovery | 3.0 | 3 |
| Physical appearance | 11.2 | 11 |
| Performance | 43.8 | 43 |
| (3) Where do you usually buy your dietary supplements? | ||
| Retail store or pharmacy | 11.2 | 11 |
| Athletic trainer or physician | 65.3 | 64 |
| Nutritionist or dietician | 18.3 | 18 |
| Online store | 4.0 | 4 |
| Other | 1.0 | 1 |
| (4) From whom do you get information about dietary supplements? | ||
| Coach | 11.2 | 11 |
| Physician | 45.9 | 45 |
| Nutritionist or dietician | 28.5 | 28 |
| Academic journals | 4.0 | 4 |
| Online | 8.1 | 8 |
| Magazine | 2.0 | 2 |
| (5) Age | ||
| <25 years old | 43.8 | 43 |
| >26 years old | 56.1 | 55 |
| (6) What is your highest level of education? | ||
| Less than high school | 8.1 | 8 |
| High school | 47.9 | 47 |
| Some college | 23.4 | 23 |
| Bachelor's degree | 13.2 | 13 |
| Graduate or professional degree | 7.1 | 7 |
| (7) How long have you been a professional football player? | ||
| <9 years | 81.6 | 80 |
| >10 years | 18.3 | 18 |
These results showed that the response does differ significantly (P < 0.0001) from the hypothesized value (0.05) indicating that reasons for taking dietary supplements differ from each individual.