Nutrition knowledge related to chronic disease of Irish medical and nursing students

Figures & data

Table 1. Characteristics of healthcare students.

Characteristics	Total Cohort n (%)
Gender	n = 131
Male	22 (16.8)
Female	109 (83.2)
Age	n = 131
17–20 Years	31 (23.7)
21–24 Years	81 (61.8)
25+	19 (14.5)
Student Type	n = 131
Nursing	94 (71.8)
Medical	37 (28.2)
Year In College	n = 131
First Year	30 (22.9)
Second Year	17 (13.0)
Third Year	55 (42.0)
Fourth Year	29 (22.1)
Participation in professional development in nutrition	n = 130
Yes	16 (12.3)
No	114 (87.7)
I feel I need further education to support me in my current role	n = 131
Strongly Disagree	3 (2.3)
Disagree	10 (7.6)
Neither Agree Nor Disagree	26 (19.8)
Agree	75 (57.3)
Strongly Agree	17 (13.0)

Table 2. Knowledge of healthcare students in relation to nutrition and chronic disease.

Questions	Total
	n	%
Which of these diseases is related to a low intake of fibre? (n = 127)	123	96.9
Which of these diseases is related to how much sugar people eat? (n = 126)	111	88.1
Which of these diseases is related to how much salt (or sodium) people eat? (n = 126)	107	84.9
Which of these options do experts recommend to reduce the chances of getting cancer? (n = 121)	32	26.4
Which of these options do experts recommend to prevent heart disease? (n = 126)	106	84.1
Which of these options do experts recommend to prevent diabetes? (n = 128)	120	93.8
Which one of these foods is more likely to raise people’s blood cholesterol? (n = 127)	89	70.1
Which one of these foods is classified as having a high Glycaemic Index? (n = 127)	77	60.6
To maintain a healthy weight people should cut fat out completely. (n = 127)	125	98.4
To maintain a healthy weight people should eat a high protein diet. (n = 127)	59	46.5
Eating bread always causes weight gain. (n = 127)	106	83.5
Fibre can decrease the chances of gaining weight. (n = 127)	51	40.2
Which of these options can help people to maintain a healthy weight?
Not eating while watching TV (n = 120)	90	75.0
Reading food labels (n = 126)	121	96.0
Taking nutritional supplements (n = 118)	58	49.2
Monitoring their eating (n = 120)	120	100.0
Monitoring their weight (n = 120)	110	91.7
Grazing throughout the day (n = 118)	88	74.6
If someone has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23 kg/m2, what would their weight status be? (n = 128)	85	66.4
If someone has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 31 kg/m2, what would their weight status be? (n = 128)	59	46.1
Which of these body shapes increases the risk of cardiovascular disease? (n = 128)	117	91.4

Table 3. Median nutrition knowledge scores dependent on characteristics.

Characteristics	Nutrition Knowledge Scores (Median ± IQR)	P Value
Gender (n = 131)
Male (n = 22)	17.00 ± 3
Female (n = 109)	15.00 ± 3
		0.01
Age (n = 131)
17–20 Years (n = 31)	14.00 ± 3
21–24 Years (n = 81)	16.00 ± 3
25+ Years (n = 19)	16.00 ± 3
		0.001
Student Type (n = 131)
Medical (n = 37)	17.00 ± 4
Nursing (n = 94)	15.00 ± 3
		0.007
Year In College (n = 131)
First Year (n = 30)	14.00 ± 3
Second Year (n = 17)	14.00 ± 4
Third Year (n = 55)	16.00 ± 4
Fourth Year (n = 29)	16.00 ± 4
		0.002
Participation in professional development in nutrition (n = 130)
Yes (n = 16)	15.00 ± 5
No (n = 114)	15.00 ± 3
		0.743
I feel I need further education to support me in my current role (n = 131)
Strongly Disagree (n = 3)	18.00
Disagree (n = 10)	15.00 ± 3
Neither Agree Nor Disagree (n = 26)	15.50 ± 5
Agree (n = 75)	15.00 ± 3
Strongly Agree (n = 17)	16.00 ± 5
		0.168