Dietary Supplement Use by Older Adults with Chronic Venous Leg Ulcers

Abstract

Approximately 49% of all U.S. adults consume one or more dietary supplements daily. One concern about this finding is that some supplements interact negatively with certain medications. For example, vitamin E combined with aspirin can decrease platelet function and increase risk for bleeding. Older adults who are using dietary supplements are likely at increased risk of dangerous supplement/medication interactions because they often have several chronic diseases requiring multiple medications. However, little is known about supplement use in this population. This study’s purpose was to describe supplement use in a sample of older adults with chronic venous leg ulcers (CVLUs), chronic conditions associated with aging that have rising prevalence rates. The Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behavior guided this study. It posits that behavior, such as the decision to use dietary supplements to improve health, is influenced by personal beliefs, social pressure, and personal control. This study used a secondary analysis of data derived from 40 older adults with CVLUs participating in the parent study conducted at a large Midwest university research center. All participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire and a questionnaire containing 13 questions specifically about dietary supplements at baseline. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the data. Twenty-five of the 40 participants (62.5%) reported taking at least one dietary supplement daily. The mean age of supplement users was 65.16 years (SD = 8.51). The majority of supplement users were men (64.0%), Caucasian (68.0%), and had at least some college education (72.0%). Fifteen (60.0%) reported taking 1-2 supplements/day, and 10 (40.0%) reported taking ≥ 3/day. The most common supplements used were multivitamin-mineral complex (48.0%), vitamin D (32.0%) and vitamin B complex (28.0%). Primary reasons for using supplements were 1) physician’s recommendation (56.0%), and 2) general health purposes (44.0%). Supplement users reported taking an average of 9.12 (SD = 6.46) prescription drugs and 21 (84.0%) reported ≥ 2 chronic conditions (excluding CVLUs). In summary, more than half of the older adults in this study reported consuming one or more dietary supplements per day. Furthermore, supplement users had multiple chronic conditions and were taking numerous prescription drugs (2-23 per day). Given the significant risk of negative interactions, it is critical that nurses and other healthcare providers ask patients about supplement use and provide evidence-based information about potential interactions. Future studies are needed using larger, more diverse samples of older adults to clarify the extent of supplement use in this population.