NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AMONG PROSPECTIVE HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span class="a_GcMg font-feature-liga-off font-feature-clig-off font-feature-calt-off text-decoration-none text-strikethrough-none">Unhealthy eating habits and a lack of physical activity are well-known risk factors for chronic illnesses, and many countries in transition have struggled to make significant progress in addressing diet-related non-communicable diseases. Education about diet and nutrition is important for public health, and healthcare professionals are essential in promoting healthy eating. Yet, many healthcare providers feel they lack competence in offering such guidance due to inadequate nutrition education and training during medical studies. This research aimed to assess the nutritional knowledge among pharmacy and medical students in south-eastern Serbia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate pharmacy and medicine students in the fall of 2022. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire composed of 16 questions with multiple-choice answers about the role of specific nutrients, and only one correct answer. Nutrition knowledge was assessed based on the percentage of accurate answers and classified as excellent (65-100%), moderate (45-64.9%), or poor (less than 45%). A total of 379 undergraduate pharmacy (n=151) and medicine (n=228) students completed the survey. The largest number of participants had poor nutritional knowledge, with an average score of 44.86%. The knowledge significantly varied by study group (p=0.039) and year of study (p˂0.001). Only 1.85% of students reported having quite good nutritional knowledge. These findings indicate multiple deficiencies in the nutrition knowledge of medicine and pharmacy students. Students' nutritional knowledge needs to be improved. Developing specific programs for promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors among students is recommended. Medical students should receive a more thorough knowledge through curriculum-based instruction in nutrition. Medical students should get more thorough curriculum-based instruction in nutrition.</span></p>