title: Nutrition knowledge, attitudes and practices among senior medical students in Taiwan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Nutrition is an important issue in medical training, but the nutritional knowledge, attitudes and practices of medical students in Taiwan have not been elucidated.
  
  
  METHODS
  This investigation was a need assessment that examined knowledge, attitude and practices of medical students in selected areas of nutrition. A national sample of 528 senior medical students from nine medical colleges in Taiwan participated in this study by completing a questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On a 10-point scale, the average score of students on general and clinical nutritional knowledge was 5.99 +/- 1.51 and 5.15 +/- 1.77, respectively. The percentage of correct answers from questionnaires in both areas was 60% and 52%, respectively. Seventy-seven percent or more of the students reported that they either agreed or strongly agreed with four positive-attitude statements and either disagreed or strongly disagreed with two out of three negative-attitude statements. Between 30% and 61% of the students reported that they practice on nutrition-related individual behaviors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The knowledge, attitudes and practices of senior medical students in Taiwan suggest the need for education strategies to improve competence in the area of nutrition.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Health Science, Taipei Medical College, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Shieh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan