Dietary supplement adulteration-knowledge, attitudes, and practices of California health care professionals: A cross-sectional survey study

Objective: To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices surrounding dietary supplements (DS) among California health care professionals (HCPs) and assess factors contributing to the frequency with which HCPs discuss DS with patients.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, an online questionnaire was distributed to HCPs in California from December 2021-April 2022 via professional membership email listservs.Results: Among 514 HCPs, overall knowledge of DS did not vary significantly by professional group, and 90% had received little to no DS education. Pharmacists (OR = 0.328, p = 0.0001) and those with less reported DS ed-ucation (OR = 0.58, p = 0.0045; OR = 0.075, p = 0.0097) had a decreased likelihood of initiating conversations about DS more frequently. Females (OR = 2.5, p < 0.0001) and those with a higher knowledge score (OR = 1.2, p = 0.0297) had an increased likelihood of initiating conversations about DS more frequently. Conclusions: HCPs acknowledge the clinical significance of DS adulteration and would benefit from additional informational resources to reduce the adverse effects associated with adulterated supplements.Practice implications: HCPs initiate more conversations about DS use when they are more informed and will gain from staying up to date on DS-related information to encourage more patient communication.