Prevalence and determinants of dietary supplement and non-prescription medicine use by men and women over 53 years old in Taiwan. Results from a population-based cross-sectional survey

Objectives: This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of the use of dietary supplements and non-prescription medicines by older adults in Taiwan. Methods: Data are from the 1999 Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. The survey involved a national random sample of 2360 men and 2080 women, 53 years or older. Results: Overall, 32.4% of elderly men and 42.7% of elderly women used at least one kind of dietary supplement during the past 12 months. Approximately 16% of elderly men and 19% of elderly women used multivitamin and mineral supplements, 10.5 and 22% used calcium, and 10 and 14% used vitamin E, respectively. Conclusions: The rates of supplement use are generally lower than those observed in the USA but comparable to that in other industrialised countries. Elderly who are females or who are more highly educated or physically more active are more frequent supplement users.