The nutritional awareness of functional food among university students in Poland.
BACKGROUND
A lack of knowledge or a fear of unknown products are common reasons why new foods are not accepted. A good example of such foods are those containing pro-health ingredients. These are termed functional foods.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of the study was to determine the level of knowledge that university students have on functional foods.


METHODS
Subjects surveyed were 266 students from the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, majoring in Dietetics and Pharmacy. A short original questionnaire was put to the students comprising 7 closed (force-choice) questions in order to test their knowledge on definition, function, form or examples of functional foods.


RESULTS
Compared to Pharmacy students, Dietetic students had significantly greater nutritional awareness about the characteristics, forms and examples of functional foods, as well as they consumed a wider range of functional products. They also evaluated their knowledge more highly than Pharmacy students on such issues. This greater nutritional knowledge in Dietetic students, seems likely to have arisen from the very nature of their studies.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need to promote functional foods in medical schools and universities, that not only include those studying nutrition subjects but also in other health-related areas.
Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chair and Department of Bromatology, Poznań, Poland.
Anna
A
Morawska
Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chair and Department of Bromatology, Poznań, Poland.
Ilona
I
Górna
Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chair and Department of Bromatology, Poznań, Poland.
Izabela
I
Bolesławska
Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chair and Department of Bromatology, Poznań, Poland.
Juliusz
J
Przysławski
D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004046:Dietetics / Q000193:education; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult