Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Philosophy of Science in Food Hygiene, Department of environmental health engineering, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Social Medicine and Community Medicine Faculty of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

3 Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health Faculty of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran

Abstract

Background: Probiotics are non-pathogen microorganisms that confer a health benefit on the gut system. The Health personnel are responsible for treating the patients, which is a sensitive role; therefore, their knowledge, attitude, and consumption of probiotics are important. Methods: A cross-sectional study was planned to evaluate personnel. Random sampling was conducted to select 136 persons as study samples from 275 personnel willing to participate in the study. Data collected using a self-made questionnaire consisted of demographic data, awareness, attitude, and behavioral items. Descriptive, correlation, and regression statistics were performed using SPSS ver. 22. Results: Total awareness score of personnel about probiotics was medium. No significant associations were found between total awareness score and gender, education, and field of education (P>0.050) except for age (P=0.008) and acquaintance (P=0.003). The younger group and experienced participants were more aware of probiotics than others. Most of the personnel had positive attitudes about probiotics. The study showed no correlation between attitude and variables, including genus (P=0.150), education (P=0.507), field of study (P=0.756), and acquaintance of personnel (P=0.259). The personnel’s overall behavior score did not correlate with genus (P=0.841), age (P=0.955), education level (P=o.527), field of study (P=0.955), and acquaintance (P=0.832). Logistic regression indicated that total awareness predicts personnel’s behavior. Conclusion: Shiraz health centers Personnel had no considerable awareness about probiotics. Personnel’s attitudes toward probiotics were positive, but lack of knowledge, high price, and limited access to probiotic products resulted in low consumption.

Keywords

  1. Morelli L, Capurso L. FAO/WHO guidelines on probiotics: 10 years later. Journal of clinical gastroenterology. 2012;46:S1-S2.
  2. Cogo E, Papadogianis P. Characteristics of 218 Recent Reviews on Natural Health Products in Integrative Cancer Care: A bibliometric analysis of trends in the human research literature. J Orthomol Med. 2018;33:1-13.
  3. Homayouni A, Alizadeh M, Alikhah H, Zijah V. Functional dairy probiotic food development: trends, concepts, and products. Probiotics. 2012:197-212.
  4. Homayouni Rad A. Therapeutical effects of functional probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic foods. Tabriz: Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. 2008:17-22.
  5. Peters V, Van de Steeg E, Van Bilsen J, Meijerink M. Mechanisms and immunomodulatory properties of pre-and probiotics. Beneficial microbes. 2019;10(3):225-36.
  6. Sanap DS, Garje MA, Godge GR. Probiotics, their health benefits and applications for development of human health: A review. Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics. 2019;9(4-s):631-40.
  7. Ajzen I. The theory of planned behavior: Frequently asked questions. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. 2020;2(4):314-24.
  8. Ajzen I. From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. Action control: Springer; 1985. p. 11-39.
  9. Fishbein M, Ajzen I. Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Philosophy and Rhetoric. 1977;10(2).
  10. Chukwu EE, Nwaokorie FO, Yisau JI, Coker AO. Assessment of the knowledge and perception of probiotics among medical science students and practitioners in Lagos state. British Journal of Medicine and Medical Research. 2015;5(10):1239.
  11. Amarauche CO. Assessing the awareness and knowledge on the use of probiotics by healthcare professionals in Nigeria. Journal of Young Pharmacists. 2015;8(1):53.
  12. Prasad S, Rajesvari R. Probiotic awareness among general dentists in Chennai. Journal of Oral Medicine, Oral Surgery, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology. 2017;3:45-7.
  13. Oliver L, Rasmussen H, Gregoire MB, Chen Y. Health care provider's knowledge, perceptions, and use of probiotics and prebiotics. Topics in Clinical Nutrition. 2014;29(2):139-49.
  14. Fijan S, Frauwallner A, Varga L, Langerholc T, Rogelj I, Lorber M, et al. Health professionals’ knowledge of probiotics: an international survey. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2019;16(17):3128.
  15. Soni R, Tank K, Jain N. Knowledge, attitude and practice of health professionals about probiotic use in Ahmedabad, India. Nutrition & Food Science. 2018.
  16. Ababneh M, Elrashed N, Al-Azayzih A. Evaluation of Jordanian healthcare providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practice patterns towards probiotics. Expert review of pharmacoeconomics & outcomes research. 2020;20(1):93-7.
  17. Salari A, Hashemi M, Mardani A, Dadgar Moghadam M, Khyrati Z, Yousefian S, et al. Assessment of Knowledge and Consumption Level of Probiotics Dairy Products among the Students and Staff of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Journal of Nutrition, Fasting and Health. 2020;8(3):186-91.
  18. Eyad A, Hamad MRAA, Kenan MRA, Fanni AKT. Medical students’ knowledge of probiotics and their health usage in Jordan. International Journal of Medical Research & Health Sciences. 2019;8(4):124-30.