Knowledge and practice of dietary supplement and micronutrients among medical students at Ajman university

Aims: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding micronutrients and dietary supplements among medical students. Moreover, this study aimed to compare between non-users and multivitamins/ minerals supplements users among pharmacy and dentistry students particularly from different levels. Methods: A cross- sectional, questionnaire based study conducted to a convenient sample composing of 220 medical students pursuing pharmacy and dental at Ajman University- UAE. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS (version 23.0). Results: The response rate was 89.8%. The result showed that 33 (15%) had a good knowledge regarding DS and micronutrients, while 123 (55.9%) had a good practice. There was a very high significance between the scores of Pharmacy and Dentistry students (p<0.001). In addition to that, males were more likely to be DS users (56.1%) compared to females (43.9%) with a significance of (p= 0.029). Conclusion: Although the usage of dietary supplements in medical students is high, there is a dearth of knowledge, especially regarding the role of micronutrients in health and diseases. This study put a spot light on the poor knowledge of the most medical students.