Correlation of information attitudes and behaviors of universitystudents about probiotics and probiotic supplements

With a better understanding of the human body, it has emerged that microorganisms in the body have different functions. Studies have proven the positive effect of probiotics on diseases such as gastrointestinal diseases, allergic diseases, obesity, insulin resistance. Along with the health benefits of probiotics and prebiotics, there has been a great expansion in the supplement product market both in the world and in our country. This study aims to determine the prevalence of probiotic supplement use among students studying at the Faculty of Health Sciences, who will be the health professionals of the future, to identify the misconceptions about probiotics and to measure the knowledge level of the population. 166 students studying at Istanbul Atlas University Faculty of Health Sciences were included in the study. A questionnaire was applied to the participants on a voluntary basis. In the first part of the questionnaire, there are questions to determine the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, in the second part of the probiotic knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, and in the third part of the food consumption characteristics. 91.6% of the participants are female and 8.4% are male, and the average age of the students is 20.291.49. 16% of the participants are Nutrition and Dietetics, 17% Language and Speech Therapy, 19% Midwifery, 10% Occupational Therapy, 5% Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, and 33% Nursing. While 29% of the participants had used a probiotic supplement before, 71% had not used a probiotic supplement before. While 58.3% of the participants who used probiotic supplements before stated that they used probiotics for "digestive system problems", 39.6% stated that they used them for "immune system 20 problems" and 2.1% for "circulatory system problems". While 49.2% of the participants who did not use probiotic supplements before stated that the reason for not using probiotic supplements was "not needing". While 97% of the participants thought that "fermented milk products such as yoghurt and kefir are probiotic sources", 77.1% of the participants stated that they "consume fermented milk products such as yoghurt and kefir because they are probiotic sources". While 53% of the participants consumed a portion of yogurt at least once a day, 1% reported that they did not consume yogurt. While 3% of the participants stated that they consumed a portion of kefir at least once a day, 61% reported that they did not consume kefir. Most participants agree that probiotics provide health benefits, but they lack knowledge about the benefits of probiotics. The inclusion of scientific evidence from various studies on probiotics in the education curricula of health science faculties may help to better understand probiotics and use them more in future treatment protocols.