Healthcare Professionals and Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge Toward Drug-Food Interactions in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia

Figures & data

Table 1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Health Care Providers Participated

Socio-Demographic Characteristics	No	%
Age in years
18–25	310	77.3%
26–35	53	13.2%
36–45	22	5.5%
> 45	16	4.0%
Gender
Male	174	43.4%
Female	227	56.6%
Qualification
Undergraduate student	230	57.4%
Bachelor’s degree	123	30.7%
Residency / Board	20	5.0%
Postgraduate degree	28	7.0%
Specialty
Dietitian	6	1.5%
Doctor	38	9.5%
Nurse	42	10.5%
Pharmacist	149	37.2%
Undergraduate student	166	41.4%
Years of experience
No experience	216	53.9%
1–4 years	114	28.4%
5–9 years	25	6.2%
10–14 years	19	4.7%
15–19 years	13	3.2%
≥20 years	14	3.5%

Figure 1 General knowledge of the HCPs about drug-food interaction, Saudi Arabia.

Table 2 General Knowledge of the HCPs About Drug-Food Interaction, Saudi Arabia

Knowledge Items	No	%
Drug-food interactions are influenced by
Taking many medications at the same time	17	4.2%
The dosages (tablets, capsules) of medication	22	5.5%
An individual’s health status	14	3.5%
Person’s age	18	4.5%
All of the above	330	82.3%
Drug-food interactions can occur when drugs interact with the following
Iron/ Vitamin supplements	23	5.7%
Diet	22	5.5%
Alcohol and fruit juices	23	5.7%
All of the above	333	83.0%
At what level do the food/ beverages interact with the drugs
Absorption	84	20.9%
Distribution	16	4.0%
Metabolism	41	10.2%
Excretion	9	2.2%
All of the above	251	62.6%
Which of the following age groups is most susceptible to food-drug interactions
Children	112	27.9%
Adults	75	18.7%
Elderly	214	53.4%
Do you think you have enough knowledge about drug-food interactions?
Yes	144	35.9%
No	257	64.1%

Figure 2 The overall knowledge score among HCPs regarding DFIs in the eastern region in Saudi Arabia.

Table 3 Participants’ Personal Characteristics Affecting Their Knowledge Level Regarding Drug-Food Interaction, Saudi Arabia

Factors	Knowledge About Drug-Food Interaction	p-value	Knowledge of Interactions of Specific Foods and Drugs	p-value	Overall Knowledge	p-value
	Median (IQR)		Median (IQR)		Median (IQR)
Age in years		0.005*,^#		0.001*,^#		0.001*,^#
≤ 25 years	7 (0–9)		3 (0–10)		10 (1–19)
> 25 years	8 (3–9)		4 (0–9)		11 (4–18)
Gender		0.874^#		0.112^#		0.191^#
Male	7 (0–9)		3 (0–9)		10 (1–18)
Female	7 (2–9)		3 (0–10)		10 (3–19)
Qualification		0.004*		0.001*		0.001*
Undergraduate student	7 (0–9)		2 (0–10)		9 (1–19)
Bachelor’s degree	8 (2–9)		4 (0–9)		11 (4–17)
Residency / Board	6 (2–9)		3 (1–9)		9 (4–18)
Postgraduate degree	8 (3–9)		3 (0–8)		10 (6–17)
Specialty		0.514		0.005*		0.002*
Dietitian	7 (2–9)		3 (2–5)		10 (4–13)
Doctor	7 (2–9)		3 (0–8)		9 (4–17)
Nurse	7 (2–9)		2 (0–6)		9 (5–15)
Pharmacist	8 (3–9)		4 (0–9)		11 (4–18)
Undergraduate student	7 (0–9)		2 (0–10)		9 (1–19)
Years of experience		0.405		0.001*		0.002*
No experience	7 (2–9)		2 (0–10)		9 (2–19)
1–4 years	7 (0–9)		4 (0–9)		10 (1–18)
≥ 5 years	7 (0–9)		4 (0–9)		11 (4–17)

Notes: P: Kruskal–Wallis test; ^#Mann–Whitney test. *P < 0.05 (significant).