Effect of educational intervention on knowledge and attitude about the role of vitamins, minerals and nutraceuticals in COVID-19 and other disorders among medical and nursing undergraduates of a tertiary care teaching hospital

Purpose: There must be a perfect balance between Food and Dietary supplements (DS) to ensure optimal well-being. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a webinar on the change in knowledge and attitude about the role of vitamins, minerals and DS among medical and nursing undergraduates so that they could bring about a positive change in popular practices, as well-informed Health Care Professionals (HCPs).Materials and methods: The study was a cross-sectional analytical study comprising 12 knowledge and 11 attitude questions administered to medical and nursing undergraduates with the help of semi-structured and pre-validated google form both before and after a webinar explaining the role of key nutrients and also the evidence and recommendations surrounding DS. Data were analyzed using STATA.12 to assess the impact of the webinar. Results: There were 415 participants, with 265 medical and 150 nursing students. There was a significant improvement both in the knowledge (4.95 (+/- 1.45), 7.76 (+/- 1.69) and attitude scores (pre-webinar mean score 31.8 (+/- 5.57) post-webinar mean score 27.7 (+/- 4.90))of the participants after the webinar. An overall positive correlation before the webinar changed to a more significant negative correlation, indicating a positive impact of the webinar (0.0054-0.0701).Conclusion: The study suggests that continuing education informing various HCPs and undergraduate students about the absolute necessity of a diet rich in nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics is the need of the hour. Additionally, the efficacy and safety concerns, appropriate indications and dosages of various DS should be adequately stressed so that informed decisions can be made. Such training programs might have a far-reaching impact on the nutrition choices of the population at large.(c) 2023 European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.