Nurses’ use of “wellness” supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Adv Nurs
• Personal Author:
  TURNER, Samantha L. ; BECCIA, Ariel ; FEENY, Gwenneth ; RAFFOUL, Amanda ; JACKSON, Destiny ; SARDA, Vishnudas ; RICH-EDWARDS, Janet ; CHAVARRO, Jorge ; HART, Jaime E. ; AUSTIN, S. Bryn
• Description:
  Aim: ; Quantify disparities and identify correlates and predictors of “wellness” supplement use among nurses during the first year of the pandemic. ; Design: ; Longitudinal secondary analysis of Nurses’ Health Studies 2 and 3 and Growing Up Today Study data. ; Methods: ; Sample included 36,518 total participants, 12,044 of which were nurses, who completed surveys during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020 to April 2021). Analyses were conducted in March 2023. Modified Poisson models were used to estimate disparities in “wellness” supplement use between nurses and non-healthcare workers and, among nurses only, to quantify associations with workplace-related predictors (occupational discrimination, PPE access, workplace setting) and psychosocial predictors (depression/anxiety, county-level COVID-19 mortality). Models included race/ethnicity, gender identity, age, and cohort as covariates. ; Results: ; Nurses were significantly more likely to use all types of supplements than non-healthcare workers. Lacking personal protective equipment and experiencing occupational discrimination were significantly associated with new immune supplement use. Depression increased the risk of using weight loss, energy, and immune supplements. ; Conclusion: ; Nurses’ disproportionate use of “wellness” supplements during the COVID-19 pandemic may be related to workplace and psychosocial stressors. Given well-documented risks of harm from the use of “wellness” supplements, the use of these products by nurses is of concern. ; Impact: ; “Wellness” supplements promoting weight loss, increased energy, boosted immunity, and cleansing of organs are omnipresent in today’s health-focused culture, though their use has been associated with harm. This is of added concern among nurses given their risk of COVID-19 infection at work. Our study highlighted the risk factors associated with use of these products (lacking PPE and experiencing occupational discrimination). Findings support prior research suggesting a need for greater public health policy and education around the use of “wellness” supplements. ; Reporting Method: ; STROBE guidelines were followed throughout manuscript.
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• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • COVID-19
  • Female
  • Male
  • United States
  • Adult
  • Middle Aged
  • Pandemics
  • Dietary Supplements
  • SARS-CoV-2
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• Source:
  J Adv Nurs. 80(11):4572-4583
• Pubmed ID:
  38515173
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11415537
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  NIH U01 HL145386/HL/NHLBI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 HD057368/HD/NICHD NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01 HL145386/HL/NHLBI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 CA067262/CA/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R24 ES028521/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01HL145386/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R24ES028521/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01HD057368/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01CA67262/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; P30 ES000002/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; 75D30120P08255/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U01 CA176726/CA/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01CA176726/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; MFE-171217/CAPMC/ CIHRCanada/ ; 75D30120P08255/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; P30 ES000002/ES/NIEHS NIH HHSUnited States/ ; NIH U01 HL145386/HL/NHLBI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T76MC00001/Maternal and Child Health Bureau/ ; MFE-171217/CAPMC/ CIHRCanada/ ; R01CA67262/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01HD057368/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R24ES028521/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01CA176726/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U01HL145386/NH/NIH HHSUnited States/
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• Volume:
  80
• Issue:
  11
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/162434/cdc_162434_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 299.62 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:db46f591e0d098a0f25b0458198b9fe24c1c0540d91e6c58c1b5e19a6d159bef153a16b9436cc5f4cde91d857ff69ec3414b857aa0d7c08cc52cec92cb982859