Attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of Australia dietitians regarding dietary supplements: A cross-sectional survey

• Only 52% of respondents indicated that they were confident in this area.
• Australian dietitians are highly interested in further training in this area.
• Concerns regarding drug-nutrient/herbal interactions was the primary barrier for use.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes, beliefs and behaviors of Australian dietitians regarding dietary supplements.MethodsAn online survey was disseminated through the mailing lists of multiple healthcare organizations. There were 231 Australian dietitians that replied to the online survey.ResultsThe results indicate that Australian dietitians are interested in dietary supplements (65%); however, the results also indicate that Australian dietitians are tentative about integrating dietary supplements into their dietetic practice. Concerns regarding potential drug-nutrient/herbal interactions were reported as the primary barrier (67%) to utilizing dietary supplements as part of clinical practice. In addition, there was a strong interest in additional training in dietary supplements (79%).ConclusionsIn summary, Australian dietitians are interested in the use of dietary supplements; however, due to current barriers, few dietitians utilize dietary supplements as part of dietetic practice.