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An educational intervention improved knowledge of dietary supplements in college students.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:We have previously reported on the prevalence of dietary supplements among college students; it was deduced that their intake of supplements increased according to their grade (i.e., 13.1% in the first grade to 20.5% in the sixth grade). We also reported that some students had experienced adverse events in Japan due to their intake of these supplements. However, awareness of dietary supplements among college students remains limited, even among pharmaceutical students. Being appropriately educated about them is important for pharmaceutical students, both for themselves as well as for their future careers as pharmacists. METHODS:We conducted a lecture-based educational intervention about dietary supplements on 328 college students in Japan-184 from pharmaceutical science and 144 from environmental science or food and life science disciplines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention on college students' understanding of dietary supplements. The intervention involved a lecture that covered the quality of dietary supplements, how they differed from drugs, and a summary of their adverse events. The lecture was evaluated using a 14-question questionnaire. We then compared the pre- and post-intervention responses to the same questionnaire using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The questions were assessed using a Likert scale that ranged from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree"; the latter being the preferred answer. RESULTS:Before the intervention had taken place, the students' understanding of dietary supplements was shown to be deficient. Conversely, post-intervention, their knowledge levels had significantly improved, especially concerning agreement on whether "Dietary supplements are safe because they are just food items". Pre-intervention, 2.7% strongly agreed and 37.5% agreed; post-intervention, 1.2% strongly agreed and 15.6% agreed. On whether "Dietary supplements made from natural ingredients or herbs are safe", at the pre-intervention stage 2.8% strongly agreed and 44.0% agreed and post-intervention, 2.2% strongly agreed and 16.9% agreed. On whether "Dietary supplements made from food items are safe", 4.0% strongly agreed and 43.6% agreed pre-intervention and 0.9% strongly agreed and 16.6% agreed post-intervention. Despite there being a greater number of pharmaceutical students who had a correct understanding of dietary supplements before the intervention, these students still showed improvement after the lecture. CONCLUSION:An intervention in the form of a single educational lecture has the capacity to improve college students' understanding of dietary supplements. It is important for pharmacists to be appropriately educated about dietary supplements when they consult with patients. We will evaluate the long-term effects of the intervention on the alumni (pharmacists) in a subsequent study.

SUBMITTER: Chiba T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7204311 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An educational intervention improved knowledge of dietary supplements in college students.

Chiba Tsuyoshi T Kobayashi Etsuko E Okura Takashi T Sekimoto Masashi M Mizuno Hideya H Saito Maki M Umegaki Keizo K

BMC public health 20200507 1

BACKGROUND:We have previously reported on the prevalence of dietary supplements among college students; it was deduced that their intake of supplements increased according to their grade (i.e., 13.1% in the first grade to 20.5% in the sixth grade). We also reported that some students had experienced adverse events in Japan due to their intake of these supplements. However, awareness of dietary supplements among college students remains limited, even among pharmaceutical students. Being appropria ...[more]

PMID: 32381078

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Project description:ObjectivesAlthough cancer is seen in every state in the United States, it does not affect every geographic area and population equally. Kentucky has the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the country, with an unusually high number of cases localized in its Appalachian region. Risk factors such as sun exposure, tobacco use, poor diet/exercise, poverty, and lack of access to healthcare centers contribute to this disparity. Because education levels in the area are low, cancer literacy (defined as how well a person can understand the advice of a healthcare professional and make appropriate lifestyle decisions) also is low. In this study, we examined the short-term and long-term effects of a brief cancer-related intervention on the cancer literacy of Kentucky middle and high school students.MethodsThis study targeted middle and high school students in Kentucky. We administered an online 10-item cancer literacy pretest, followed by a brief educational intervention and a posttest to 164 students at six Kentucky middle and high schools. This posttest also included questions asking how likely students would be to change their habits or to encourage others to change their habits as a result of the intervention. All of the participating students also were sent a 3-month follow-up online survey with items identical to the pretest; 48 students completed the 3-month follow-up test, leading to a response rate of 29.2%. The data were summarized as frequencies, averages, median, and confidence intervals (CIs) of correctly marked answers. A paired t test was used to test for significance.ResultsWe observed an increase in the overall average test score from 50.2% (95% CI 47.8%-52.6%) on the pretest to 77.1% (95% CI 74.6%-79.7%) on the posttest immediately following the intervention. There also was an increase in the average number of correct responses on each item. The 3-month follow-up test similarly showed average test score improvement (75.4%). When asked how likely students would be to change their habits as a result of the intervention on a scale from 1 to 10 (1 = extremely unlikely, 10 = extremely likely), the median was 6. When asked how likely students would be to encourage another to change their habits, the median was an 8.ConclusionsThese results provide evidence that a brief educational intervention can increase cancer literacy, improve cancer knowledge retention, and encourage behavior change in Appalachian Kentucky students. Increasing cancer literacy may result in increased participation in preventive cancer screenings and improved health habits, which could ultimately lower cancer rates in the region.

Project description:Poor eating habits and hazardous weight-control measures are prevalent among university students. Hence, practical and efficient intervention programs are necessary to enhance nutritional awareness and promote healthy dietary practices encompassing food choices and diet quality. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of an intervention study on nursing students' knowledge and practices regarding nutrition and dietary habits. A quasi-experimental research design with pre-post phases was used to study 250 nursing students at the College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sample was non-randomized and taken from March 2023 until the end of May of the same year. The closed-ended questionnaire focused on participant demographics, knowledge, and practices relating to nutrition and eating habits. The survey was divided into three main sections. Technical terms were consistently defined throughout the questionnaire, and the language used was clear and objective. The research adhered to conventional academic structure and formatting, following the guidelines of the relevant style manual. Grammatical correctness and precise word choice were ensured, and filler words were avoided. The participants in the study displayed an increase in knowledge scores from 33.7 ± 4.6 in the pre-test to 52.6 ± 7.2 in the post-test. Moreover, prior to program implementation, their overall nutrition practice scores stood at 64 ± 9.5, but after the program, the score had risen to 107.7 ± 4.22. A significant difference in the total knowledge and practice scores was identified between the pre- and post-test phases, with an a p-value of 0.001. The nursing students' scores for both knowledge and practical application of nutrition and eating habits showed a significant increase following the implementation of the program. Therefore, it is imperative to introduce well-structured training programs on nutrition and promote healthy diet habits for all medical faculties, paramedics, and applied health institutions across Saudi Arabia.

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An educational intervention improved knowledge of dietary supplements in college students.

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An educational intervention improved knowledge of dietary supplements in college students.

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