Health supplements: usage, indications and expectations on pharmacist's role in Sarawak

The interest of the world population has shifted towards the usage of herbal and dietary supplement (HDS) intended for health. HDS are readily available for sale in many stores and online shopping including in community pharmacies. Pharmacist plays an essential role on maintaining the safe use of these products. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usage and indications of herbal and dietary supplements among the general public residing in Sarawak as well as their expectations on the professional role of pharmacist with respect to HDS. A cross-sectional study was conducted by a convenient sampling. A self­ administered questionnaire was distributed in different cities across Sarawak. A total of 209 of general public residing in Sarawak participated in this survey. Majority of the respondents were female (67.0%), ranging from 18-24 years (69.9%) with a low income status (75.2%) and without health problem (53.6%). The leading classification of HDS consumed was vitamins and minerals (57.8%), followed by health supplement (47.6%) and only one-fifth (20.9%) are taking herbal products. The common type of HDS consumed are vitamin C, multivitamins, collagen-containing products, fish oil and Nigella saliva. The two most popular indications were general health ( 42.4%) and weight-loss (22. 9%).Most of the respondents thought it was important for pharmacists to be knowledgeable on HDS (88.5%), but only half of them (56.4%) felt that community pharmacist have enough knowledge on the matter. The usage of herbal and dietary supplements was common among the public in Sarawak. Pharmacists should improve their role as professionals in giving appropriate information and advice to the consumers based on their expectations.