Abstract
Background and Objective: Nutrition education plays a crucial role in preparing future physicians to promote healthy dietary behaviors and manage diet-related diseases. However, evidence suggests that medical students often lack sufficient nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP), especially in developing countries. This study aimed to assess the level of nutrition-related KAP among medical interns at Kashan University of Medical Sciences and to identify demographic and personal factors associated with their KAP scores.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2024 on 127 medical interns at Shahid Beheshti Hospital, Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Participants were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a validated and reliable questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha = 0.7) comprising 15 knowledge items, 8 attitude items, and 7 practice items. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27, applying independent t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients.
Results: The mean scores were 6.9 ± 2.4 out of 15 for knowledge, 28.5 ± 3.6 out of 40 for attitude, and 20.9 ± 3.5 out of 28 for practice. No significant correlations were observed among knowledge, attitude, and practice (p > 0.05). Male interns scored significantly higher in knowledge than females (p = 0.015). Additionally, parents’ education and occupation, presence of underlying disease, and medication use were significantly associated with knowledge or practice scores (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Findings indicated that medical interns’ awareness of the importance of nutrition did not necessarily translate into changes in behavior or practice. This gap highlights shortcomings in the current educational program and underscores the need to enhance medical interns’ nutrition-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
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