Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Toward Dietary Supplement Use Among Sport Sciences Students
Keywords:
Dietary supplements; Knowledge; Attitudes; Practices; Sport sciences studentsAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to assess the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward dietary supplement use among students of the Faculty of Sport Sciences and to examine whether these levels differed according to gender, specialization, and academic year.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive analytical cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected from 100 male and female students using a structured questionnaire based on the KAP framework. The questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices related to dietary supplement use. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze the data at a significance level of α ≤ 0.05.
Results: Students showed a high level of knowledge regarding dietary supplements (M = 2.52, SD = 0.37), moderate attitudes (M = 2.36, SD = 0.78), and relatively high but variable practices (M = 3.70, SD = 1.10). No statistically significant differences were found in KAP scores according to gender, specialization, or academic year.
Conclusion: Although sport sciences students demonstrated adequate knowledge of dietary supplements, this knowledge was not consistently reflected in more favorable attitudes or uniform evidence-based practices. Applied nutrition education and targeted awareness programs are therefore needed to promote safe and responsible supplement use.
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References
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