Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Related to Dietary Supplements and Micronutrients in Health Sciences Students
Objectives: Little is known about supplement users and their dietary behavior in India. This study was conducted with the following objectives: 1. To determine the usage of dietary supplements in health sciences students. 2. To determine their knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding micronutr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
JCDR Research and Publications Private Limited
2014-08-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jcdr.net/articles/PDF/4683/9329_CE(Ra)_F(Sh)_PF1(SNAK)_PFA(AK).pdf |
| Summary: | Objectives: Little is known about supplement users and their
dietary behavior in India. This study was conducted with the
following objectives: 1. To determine the usage of dietary
supplements in health sciences students. 2. To determine their
knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding micronutrients.
Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional, questionnaire based
study conducted at a University in south India, which included
second year students pursuing medical, dental and nursing
courses. Data was analysed using SPSS version 19.
Results: The commonest reasons for consuming supplements
were to maintain good health (136, 40.1%) and ensure adequate
nutrition (125, 36.9%). The respondents’ opinions about dietary
supplements were generally between ‘unsure’ and ‘agree’.
Medical students scored the highest percentage (44.84%) in
their knowledge about micronutrients as compared to nursing
(43.17%) and dental (37.8%). There was a significant difference
between the scores of medical and dental students (p=0.005)
while the scoring of students of medical and nursing did not
vary significantly. There was no significant difference between
the scoring percentage of males and females in medical and
dental groups while in the nursing group female students scored
a better percentage as compared to males (p=0.036).
Conclusion: Although, the usage of dietary supplements in
health sciences students is high, there is a dearth of knowledge,
especially regarding role of micronutrients in health and disease.
Hence, it is crucial this information must be highlighted in the
health sciences curriculum with the objective of producing wellinformed professionals who can later on have a positive impact
on the health of society. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2249-782X 0973-709X |