In 2008 an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report recognized that a clear picture of the use of dietary supplements (i.e. doses, patterns of use, expectations) does not exist and recommended the conduct of surveys that provide data on such usage.
The Supplement Use Study was designed, in collaboration with Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in San Diego, California, the United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) in Natick, Massachusetts, and the United States Army Public Health Center (APHC) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland to meet these research challenges.
Individuals invited to participate in the Supplement Use Study were selected by a random sample drawn from active duty rosters. Participation is completely voluntary. However, we need service members who are taking and are not taking supplements in order to provide the DoD with important information about the similarities and differences between service members who do and do not take supplements, the types of supplements being used, the reasons for their use, positive health effects and adverse events that might be associated with them. So, if you are not taking dietary supplements we would still like to hear from you. About 40,000 active duty service members will take part in this study.