[01] Jason Yew, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [02] Helinathevi a/p Maganathan, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [03] Wong Kian Yong, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia. [04] Suchira Praveen Maldini Pinnaduwa, Faculty of Medicine, Melaka-Manipal Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Melaka, Malaysia.

Dietary supplements and micronutrients have always been a big part of healthcare. Ever since five decades ago, when Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling published his book, Vitamin C and the Common Cold, the interest towards dietary supplements and micronutrients have only been increasing. As the doctors and medical personnel of tomorrow, we believe it is very important for medical students to have proper knowledge, attitude and practices regarding dietary supplements and micronutrients. Therefore, this study aims to determine the knowledge, attitude and practices among the medical students of Melaka Manipal Medical College regarding dietary supplements and to determine their knowledge, attitude and practices regarding micronutrients. A cross-sectional study was conducted among MBBS students of Melaka-Manipal Medical College (MMMC), Malaysia. The data was collected by distribution of questionnaires via a google form link. The questionnaire included questions on socio-demographic data, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding the dietary supplements and micronutrients. Data was analysed using Epi Info. A total of 67 (33.17%) out of the 202 participated. A majority of the participants (65.67%) used dietary supplements, out of which most were using with the intention of maintaining good health and to ensure adequate nutrition. The main sources of information on dietary supplements were found to be the internet and via family members. The study showed poor knowledge among most of the participants (77.61%) about the topic, while the rest had a moderate knowledge (22.39%). The attitude in most (49.25%) was moderate, while 31.34% and 19.40% students had poor and good attitudes respectively. There were no significant associations between age, gender, nationality, smoking, alcohol usage and regular physical activity with the usage of dietary supplements. Only smokers showed significant association with the usage of dietary supplements, as all of them consumed dietary supplements. Since most of the students had poor knowledge towards dietary supplements and micronutrients, we recommend medical institutions to refresh the knowledge of the participants with seminars and talks, followed by competitions and quizzes to reinforce their knowledge in this aspect.

Dietary Supplements, Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Medical Students

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