Nutritional knowledge in university students of the public sector from the Stateof Chiapas, Mexico

Abstract

Introduction: Knowledge of nutrition is vital in order to obtain and preserve health, making itessential for health professionals to obtain an adequate level of knowledge in this field duringtheir training, and to be mainly responsible for transmitting it to the general population, andthus playing an essential role in health care.

Objective: A study was conducted to determine the basic nutrition knowledge of students inthe areas of nursing, human medicine and nutrition.

Method: A nutrition knowledge questionnaire was completed by 82 nursing, human medicineand nutrition students of public sector from the State of Chiapas, Mexico, who had alreadystudied nutrition or a similar subject.

Results: It was identified that there was insufficient knowledge on nutrition in public sectorhealth-related students of the State of Chiapas, Mexico, with the mean of correct answersby all groups being less than 80%. The highest means were achieved by students studying thedegree in nutrition. Furthermore, medical students have significantly better scores than nursingstudents, the latter showing the least knowledge.

Conclusions: There is a need to review academic programs, proposing the incorporation ofnutrition as a subject of first level of importance, and taught in more than one semester in thenursing and human medicine degrees.