Awareness, Knowledge and Attitude towards Nutrigenomics among Health Care Workers in Indonesia: A Preliminary Exploration Widyawaty N1, Tan C.K1, Tan E.S.S1, Seghayat M.S1, Normina A.B1,* 1School of Healthy Aging, Medical Aesthetics and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UCSI University *Corresponding author: Normina A.B, E-mail: normina@ucsiuniversity.edu.my
Online published on 30 April, 2019. Abstract Chronic diseases are rising in number and have become the leading cause of mortality in the world. These diseases can be controlled via diet and lifestyle modifications. Nutrigenomics recently emerge as a study area endeavoring to understand one's response to diet at molecular level. Despite its rapid development, limited number of health care workers were exposed to nutrigenomics. Therefore, this study aimed to provide a preliminary insight on the baseline of awareness, knowledge, and attitude of nutrigenomics among health care workers in Indonesia. A questionnaire consisting of 18 questions was developed and distributed to nutritionists, general practitioners, and specialists in selected hospitals. Total of 114 questionnaires were completed and analyzed using SPSS software. Approximately 19.3% of participants have heard about nutrigenomics; awareness among nutritionists (55%) was significantly higher (p<0.05) compared to 7.1% for general practitioners and 13.6% for specialists. Furthermore, less than 15% of participants had good knowledge of nutrigenomics. Majority of participants acknowledged benefits of nutrigenomics and have strong interest to incorporate nutrigenomics into their clinical daily practice. Lack of knowledge and limited clinical evidences were considered as the first and second limitation. However, high eagerness to pursue a higher education and to embark nutrigenomics research were found. In conclusion, participants reported to have limited awareness and knowledge, but had positive attitude towards nutrigenomics. These findings are encouraging for future development and application of nutrigenomics in daily clinical practice. Top Keywords Awareness and Knowledge, Nutrigenomics, Health Care Workers. Top |