Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Related to the Use of Nutraceuticals for Prophylaxis against COVID-19 among Undergraduate Medical and Nursing Students in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital, Bihar, India

Introduction: Nutritional supplements modify immune response and protect against viral infections. Health related behaviour of medical and nursing students governs their attitude towards counselling patients. This study assessed the differences in the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) between undergraduate medical and nursing students regarding the role of nutraceuticals in Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Aim: To assess the differences in the KAP between undergraduate medical and nursing students regarding the role of nutraceuticals in COVID-19. Materials and Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care teaching hospital, Patna, Bihar, India in September 2020. A questionnaire was administered to assess the KAP of 265 medical and 150 nursing undergraduates regarding nutraceuticals. The total knowledge score varied between 0 and 12. The score of the attitude was based on 5 points Likert scale. The data was collected through self-administered google forms. Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test was used to compare the difference in categorical data. Results: There were total 273 (65.8%) participants with good knowledge and only 47 (11.3%) with positive attitude. About 68.7% medical students and 82.7% nursing students felt that regular intake of nutraceuticals has a positive role in protecting against COVID-19 (p=0.007). Out of 415, 264 participants (63.6%) had used nutraceuticals. About 156 (58.9%) medical students and 103 (68.7%) nursing students felt that the safety of nutraceuticals is a grave concern. Two- fifth of the participants (202, 48.7%) had consumed a dietary supplement to maintain good health. Conclusion: Although the knowledge score was good, but positive attitude was lacking. Thus, Health Care Personnels (HCP)s should be trained regarding proper usage and recommendations of nutraceuticals.