Evaluation of Attitudes and Knowledge Levels of Medical Faculty Students about Probiotics

ABSTRACT
Aim: Probiotics are natural products with proven benefits in the prevention and treatment of many diseases, with relatively few side effects. The study aimed to assess medical students' knowledge, attitudes and usage habits about probiotics.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study comprised final-year medical students in the academic year 2019-2020. Preliminary information about the study was given to the participants, and their verbal consent was obtained. A questionnaire prepared by the researchers in line with the literature evaluating socio-demographic characteristics, probiotic food consumption and knowledge about probiotics was applied to the participants. 
Results: The mean age of 229 students (78.4%) who participated in the study was 24.24±1.61 years and 58.1% were female. Of the participants, 92.6% stated that they knew the term 'probiotic', 44.1% indicated that they knew the microorganism content of probiotic foods, and 54.2% did not consume probiotic-containing foods. The most common reasons for taking probiotics were 'digestive benefits' (42.4%) and 'boosting the immune system' (26.6%), while the most common reason for not taking probiotics was 'not needed'. In the study, 51.5% of students said they would recommend probiotic foods to their peers and patients, and the most common reason for recommendation was constipation (73.4%). The participants had a mean probiotic knowledge score of 52.41±8.70 (20-76) points. There was no relationship between male students' (51.34±9.05) and female students' knowledge levels (53.26±8.38) (p=0.101). 
Conclusion: The level of knowledge about probiotics, the consumption of probiotics and the attitude towards recommending probiotics among the Faculty of Medicine senior students were found to be moderate. Consumption of probiotics by healthy or sick people should be done on the advice of trained physicians
Keywords: Probiotic, Medical Student, Knowledge, Attitude