Assessment of the Use of Nutraceuticals Among Health Practitioners in A Tertiary Hospital in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Nutraceuticals gain recognition as complements to medicine and preventative care. Despite rising patient use, Nigerian healthcare professionals' attitudes and knowledge remain unclear.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 185 healthcare professionals. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of nutraceuticals. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize responses, while chi-square tests assessed associations between sociodemographic variables and study outcomes at a p-value less than 0.05 considered to be statistically significant.
Results: Most respondents were female (55.7%), aged 21–35 (68.6%), and were nurses (54.1%) or pharmacists (29.2%). Good knowledge was seen in 55.1%, especially for iron/folic acid, but less for omega-3 (16.2%) and antioxidants (27.6%). Positive attitudes were held by 53.5%, agreeing on nutraceuticals' role in care/prevention, but views varied on superiority to drugs. Favorable perceptions were at 56.2%, endorsing roles in health/malnutrition, but skepticism existed for first-line use/weight loss. Knowledge linked to age (p=0.024); perception to gender (p=0.034) and profession (p=0.016). Attitudes had no sociodemographic links.
Conclusion: Nigerian healthcare professionals mostly know about nutraceuticals, but education and regulation are needed for safe use and better patient results.