A Multinational Cross-sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices towards Magnesium Supplements

Rana Abutaima^1*Muna Barakat²Samar Thiab²Hana M. Sawan¹Malak Amer¹Reem Alzayer³Doaa H Abdelaziz^4,5Noha O. Mansour⁶Fatima Saleh⁷Wael Abu Dayyih⁸

• ¹Faculty of Pharmacy, Zarqa University, Zarqa, Jordan
• ²Faculty of Pharmacy, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Amman, Jordan
• ³Clinical Pharmacy Practice, Mohammed Al Mana College for Health Sciences (MACHS), Dammam, Saudi Arabia
• ⁴College of Clinical Pharmacy, Al Baha University, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia
• ⁵National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institute (Egypt), Cairo, Beni Suef, Egypt
• ⁶Clinical Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacy Practice Department, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Dakahlia, Egypt
• ⁷Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Beirut Arab University, Beirut, Lebanon
• ⁸Faculty of Pharmacy, Mutah University, Al Karak, Karak, Jordan

Background: Magnesium is a vital mineral with a crucial role in different biochemical reactions.There is a contradicting evidences about its role in maintaining bone, muscle and cardiovascular health. Recently, magnesium supplements gained attention due to claimed effectiveness in improving sleep quality and relieving muscle spasm.Aim: This study aimed to assess Arab communities' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding magnesium supplementation.A cross-sectional self-administered survey was disseminated to collect responses from different Arab countries. Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographics. Data normality was assessed using Shapiro-Wilk test. Associations between sociodemographic variables and knowledge, attitudes and practices were explored using simple and multiple linear regression.Significance level was considered at p< 0.05.Results: A total of 1,445 responses were collected. Mean (±SD) knowledge scores were low 8.61± 5.9. Eighty seven percent recognized magnesium role in alleviating muscle spasm and sleep disorders (83%). Magnesium citrate was the mostly used magnesium salt (37.43%). Neutral attitudes were observed with a mean score of 3.02± 0.66. Only 31.8% reported using magnesium supplements, 36.1% of them received a medical consultation. Having poly cystic ovary (p= 0.033), relying on scientific articles (0.004), receiving pharmacist consultation (p= 0.019) significantly associated with higher knowledge.Despite the huge debate regarding magnesium benefits in maintaining muscle, bone health and improving sleep quality, this study found that there is a significant gap in knowledge and neutral attitude towards magnesium supplementation in Arab communities. These findings emphasizes the need for educational campaigns targeting the public on the rationale use of supplements.