Abstract
A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the relationship between dietary supplement use and health-related behavior of 301 female college students. Fifty-four percent of the subjects claimed to use dietary supplements. Some differences in health-related behavior were found between the group using dietary supplements and the group that did not. The group that did showed a greater tendency to read magazines on health, to have nonspecific complaints, and to consume retort food and the daily dish than the group that did not. Although there was no difference in BMI between the groups, many of the subjects in the supplement group dieted and were interested in fashion trends. There was also considerable use of health drinks by the supplement group. The results suggest that individuals who read health magazines and have nonspecific complaints are more aware about deficiencies in nutritional elements, and therefore tend to use diet supplements more frequently. It is considered that guidance about the significance of nutritional elements obtained from meals and the appropriate use of supplements is important.
