Objective: To investigate the prevalence of dietary supplement use and relevant factors among infants and young children in the urban area of Chengdu.
Methods: 257 infants and young children aged 0-3 years and their parents were selected by simple random sampling. Questionnaires were used to collect information about family characteristic and the use of dietary supplements of infants and young children in the past month. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the related factors.
Results: The prevalence of dietary supplements use among infants and young children was 87.5%. The main types of supplements included vitamin D, vitamin A, calcium, zinc and iron, with the using prevalence of 76.3%, 75.5%, 33.5%, 16.3%, 3.9%, respectively. The prevalence of other types supplement use were different by age of children (P < 0.05), in addition to iron. The prevalence of calcium and zinc supplements use were gradually increased with age increasing. Vitamin D and vitamin A supplements use in 6 - 11 months age group were higher than other children. Supplement use was associated with the attitude of the parents on infant and early childhood nutrition (OR = 0.186, P < 0.05) and the growth and development status of children( OR = 2.317, P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Dietary supplement was used widely among infants and young children in Chengdu. It should pay more attention to improve professional guidance on dietary supplement.