Background Health supplement products (HS) that are on-sale in the Emirate of Dubai (United Arab Emirates) may contain ingredients and chemicals that may affect human health. This research aims to conduct a population based survey to identify the prevalence of HS consumption in the population of Dubai and the adverse health events related to their consumption.

Methods A population-based cross sectional household survey will assess the prevalence of HS product consumption and related adverse health effects. The survey will include both nationals and non-nationals aged 16 and above who live in Dubai and will be conducted in collaboration with Dubai Statistic Centre. Households will be randomly sampled from the sampling frame to give a sample of 600 nationals and 600 non-nationals which will ensure the desired precision. The survey will start in Feburary 2016, data will be colleceted from participants through a telephone interview and the survey is expected to be completed in two months.

Results The expected results of this study will provide important descriptive epidemiology on the prevalence of HS use and associated adverse health effects in Dubai. Study data is currently being collected and will be presented at the conference.

Conclusions With the increase in the use of HS products globally, the safety and efficacy of HS products have become a public health concern in Dubai. The strategic location of Dubai, an open market and the opportunities and conditions in the UAE promote the availability of such products in large amounts and the lack of data on exposure indicates the importance of this research.