Table 4.
Knowledge on nutritional supplements by Chinese students.
| Variables | Number (%) That Answered Correctly | p-Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Subjects | Medical Students | Non-Medical Students | ||
| What is the most important function of nutritional supplements? | 1862 (22.3) | 1061 (25.9) | 801 (18.8) | <0.001 |
| Do you think some specific people should take nutritional supplements? | 5553 (64.0) | 2967 (69.9) | 2586 (58.4) | <0.001 |
| Do you know nutritional supplements cannot replace a balanced diet? | 7257 (83.7) | 3629 (85.6) | 3628 (81.9) | <0.001 |
| Do you think overdosing on nutritional supplements has toxic effects? | 4883 (56.3) | 2565 (60.5) | 2318 (52.3) | <0.001 |
| Do you know how to distinguish between health food supplements, and OTC supplements? | 3119 (36.5) | 1873 (44.5) | 1246 (28.7) | <0.001 |
| Can you correctly select a special label for nutritional supplements in China? | 6336 (75.7) | 3226 (77.5) | 3110 (73.9) | <0.001 |
When the respondents were asked whether they thought it was necessary to take NSs, they responded “No” at 70.1%. A handful of respondents considered that they would encourage those in the neighboring environment to take supplements (35.2%). The study participants enrolled considered “tablets” as preferred form of NS as Table 5.