Participant experiences from chronic administration of a multivitamin versus placebo on subjective health and wellbeing: A double-blind qualitative analysis of a randomised controlled trial
Creators: name: Sarris, Jerome
name: Cox, Katherine H M
name: Camfield, David
name: Scholey, Andrew
name: Stough, Con
name: Fogg, Erin
name: Kras, Marni
name: White, David
name: Sali, Avni
name: Pipingas, Andrew
Publisher: name: Swinburne
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 520201
subject: Behavioural genetics
classificationCode: 520202
subject: Behavioural neuroscience
classificationCode: 520203
subject: Cognitive neuroscience
classificationCode: 520205
subject: Psychopharmacology
classificationCode: 520206
subject: Psychophysiology
classificationCode: 520207
subject: Social and affective neuroscience
classificationCode: 520301
subject: Clinical neuropsychology
classificationCode: 520401
subject: Cognition
classificationCode: 520403
subject: Learning, motivation and emotion

description: Background: While many randomised controlled trials have been conducted on multivitamins, to our knowledge no qualitative research exploring the subjective experience of taking a multivitamin during a clinical trial has been reported. Methods: Semi-structured and open-ended written questions were incorporated into a 16-week double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel groups trial of once-daily multivitamin administration. At the final study visit (week 16), three open-ended questions were posed to elucidate any positive, negative or unusual experiences from taking either the multivitamin or matched placebo. Qualitative thematic analysis was undertaken by researchers who were blind as to treatment condition of participants, and triangulation (independent analysis from three researchers) was employed to ensure methodological rigour. Participant's experiences were categorised as 'positive' or 'negative' and a Chi Square analysis was then applied to each of the experiential themes, to compare experiences between the multivitamin and placebo groups, (subdividing the groups by gender). Usual experiences were categorised and discussed separately. Results: Of the 182 participants enrolled, 116 completed the study and qualitative data were available from 114 participants. Thematic analysis revealed significant effects in favour of the multivitamin over placebo for participants experiencing increased energy levels (p=.022) and enhanced mood (p=.027). The beneficial effect on energy levels was particularly evident among female participants. A trend was found for participants reporting better sleep in the multivitamin over placebo. The multivitamin and placebo groups did not significantly differ in perceived positive or negative effects in areas relating to other aspects of mental function or physical health. No significant negative effects were revealed, although there was a non-significant trend for more people in the multivitamin group having minor digestive complaints. Conclusion: This represents the first documented qualitative investigation of participants' experience of chronic administration of a multivitamin. Results uncovered a range of subjective beneficial effects that are consistent with quantitative data from previously published randomised controlled trials examining the effects of multivitamins and B vitamin complexes on mood and well-being.