SILVA, Maria Elisângela Cordeiro da.
Resumo:
In March 2020 the pandemic of Covid-19 was decreed, a disease caused by the Sars-CoV-2
virus and that represents a major public health problem due to the high rate of transmissibility,
lethality and mortality. Given this scenario, the search for alternative means of prevention
and/or treatment of the disease has increased, and the use of vitamin and/or mineral
supplements is one of the strategies used by the population. Thus, the practice of selfmedication
by this and other substances has grown, generating concern. Therefore, the present
study aims to investigate the aspects related to the use of vitamin C D and zinc supplements
by residents of Nova Palmeira, PB, during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the opportunity, a
quantitative research of descriptive-exploratory character was carried out, and data collection
was done by sending a questionnaire created in the Microsoft Forms platform. Of these,
75.2% (n=231) used vitamin and/or mineral supplements during the pandemic, 86.8%
(n=190) pointed out that the main reason for using them was to increase immunity; however,
44% (n=86) of the people who used supplements reported that the orientation for using them
did not come from a health professional, but from an indication through social media.
Therefore, it is essential that health professionals be bridges of knowledge to the population,
making social media an important tool for health education, providing all the appropriate
guidance.