Knowledge Attitude and Practices about Nutritional Supplements of the Students of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Nutritional Supplements (NS) include vitamins, minerals, herbs, meal supplements, sports nutrition products, natural food supplements and other related products used to boost the nutritional content of the diet. Objectives: The objective of the study was 1) To determine the usage of nutritional supplements in Applied Medical Science College students. 2) To find their Knowledge, Attitude and Practices regarding nutritional supplements. 3) To find the association between knowledge, attitude and practices with sociodemographic variables. Materials and methods: We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in 2016 at College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Convenient sampling was used. The data was taken through questionnaires and analyzed by using the SPSS 21.0 version. Results: Majority 59 (52.21%) respondents were graded as good knowledge level of nutritional supplement. The majority of the respondents using nutritional supplements 63 (55.75%) and the most used type of nutrition supplement are vitamins 42 (66.67%). The majority of nutrition supplement users felt better 59 (93.65%) and majority consuming the supplements with doctor advice/prescription. The knowledge of nutritional supplements was attained by majority of doctors/pharmacists 79 (69.91%). Most of the students were non-smokers 109 (96.46%) and do regular exercise 111 (98.23%). The correlation between Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of nutritional supplements with gender and marital status were statistically significant. Conclusion: The usage of nutrition supplements in students is high. Hence, the knowledge, especially regarding the role of nutritional supplements in health and diseases must be highlighted in the medical science curriculum with the objective of producing well-informed professionals who can, later on, have a positive impact on the health of society.