Knowledge, behaviour and perception on dietary supplement among the students in UiTM Puncak Alam

Dietary supplement is commonly used among people nowadays to supplement diet. The purpose of this study is to assess undergraduate students in UiTM Puncak Alam on their knowledge, behavior and perception towards dietary supplements. A cross sectional study by using convenience sampling was conducted among undergraduate students from eight different faculties in UiTM Puncak Alam. Out of 420 questionnaires being distributed, only 385 questionnaires were returned back. The response rate was 91. 7%. The questionnaire used in this study was adapted from Aina et al. (2014), Valentine (2015), and Marinac et al. (2007). The questionnaire consisted of 26 items divided into 4 parts which were part A for demographic profile, part B for knowledge on dietary supplements, part C for behavior on dietary supplements and part D for the perception on the dietary supplements. The data were analyzed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 and the Microsoft Excel. Chi square test was used to determine the significant association between the tested parameters with p value less than 0.05. The overall score on knowledge of dietary supplements was 5, classified as having a moderate level of knowledge. Vitamin C was the most common dietary supplements used by the students. Generally, most of the students had positive perception toward the effectiveness of dietary supplements.