Exploring Dietary Supplement Usage in Moroccan Sports
The utilization of dietary supplements (DS) is prevalent among athletes, but it raises significant health and ethical questions, particularly concerning the inadvertent risk of doping. In Morocco, comprehensive data addressing this issue have been limited. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of athletes from 14 national sports federations regarding dietary supplements. Conducted between December 2023 and October 2024, this descriptive and analytical cross-sectional survey included a sample of 1,094 athletes. The researchers employed both online and face-to-face KAP questionnaires to gather data. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, bivariate tests (χ²), and multivariate techniques (binary logistic regression) using the JAMOVI software, with a significance level set at p < 0.05.
The findings revealed that approximately 38.1% of the surveyed athletes reported using dietary supplements. Notably, there was no significant difference in supplement usage between male and female athletes. The predominant motivation for using these supplements was performance enhancement, cited by 52% of those who used them. Alarmingly, nearly half of the athletes lacked awareness about the potential risks associated with dietary supplements, and only 27.3% of users reported taking supplements under medical or nutritional supervision. Furthermore, an exploratory multivariable logistic regression analysis highlighted several factors influencing dietary supplement usage; athletes aged between 28 and 32 years and those who had consulted with healthcare professionals were significantly more likely to report using supplements. Conversely, athletes training fewer than five hours a week and those who did not view dietary supplements as essential for performance improvement were less likely to use them. The model demonstrated acceptable discrimination (AUC = 0.77) and confirmed the absence of multicollinearity among variables (all VIFs < 2).
In summary, this study uncovered that dietary supplement usage is relatively common among athletes within the surveyed Moroccan national sports federations, and notably, it often occurs without proper supervision. These preliminary findings underscore a significant knowledge gap, limited engagement with healthcare professionals, and an elevated risk of unintentional doping. Such insights provide a foundational basis for the development of targeted educational and regulatory strategies, which should be supported by further studies that are nationally representative.
As reported by nature.com.
