|
Assessing the Awareness of Medical Students at Semnan University of Medical Sciences Regarding Palm Oil Consumption: A Cross-Sectional Study
|
Z Seraj   , N Khorshidian  , M Mohammadi , M Yousefi * , F Gharibi |
| Semnan University of Medical Sciences , m.yousefi@semums.ac.ir |
|
|
Abstract: (347 Views) |
Background and objectives: Given the undeniable role of physicians in raising awareness in the community, this study was aimed to investigate the awareness rate of medical students regarding palm oil consumption considerations.
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2025 with the participation of 380 medical students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences. Data were obtained using a researcher-made questionnaire, which its content validity was confirmed by obtaining the score of 0.95 and 0.91 for the CVR and CVI indices, respectively. Also, the reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by examining internal consistency and obtaining a score of 0.899 for Cronbach's alpha. In order to investigate the possible statistical relationship between demographic and background variables with the total awareness rate of students, the T-test and ANOVA statistical tests were also used.
Results: The mean age of the participated students in the study was 23.04 (±3.91) years. The student’s awareness rate of regarding palm oil was 0.46 and the highest and lowest scores were assigned to the "application cases" domain with the score of 0.57 and "benefits of consumption" domain with the score of 0.35, respectively. The statistical analysis showed that the variables of age, educational level, year of entering to university and settlement status of students had a significant relationship with their total awareness regarding palm oil (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results showed that the awareness rate of medical students about palm oil consumption is not satisfactory and that they need to be informed about this issue. By showing the level of students' awareness about palm oil consumption considerations and its related demographic and background characteristics, this study can assist educational and health managers in designing and implementing effective and focused promotional interventions. |
|
| Keywords: Awareness, Palm Oil, Health Education, Medical Students |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 884 kb]
(143 Downloads)
|
Article type: Research |
Subject:
Food Science
Received: 2025/12/5 | Accepted: 2026/06/7 | Published: 2026/09/30
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| References |
1. Tian M, Bai Y, Tian H, Zhao X. The chemical composition and health-promoting benefits of vegetable oils-A review. Molecules. 2023; 28(17):6393. [ DOI:10.3390/molecules28176393] 2. Wen C, Shen M, Liu G, Liu X, Liang L, Li Y, et al. Edible vegetable oils from oil crops: Preparation, refining, authenticity identification and application. Process Biochemistry. 2023; 124: 168-79. [ DOI:10.1016/j.procbio.2022.11.017] 3. Zhang M, Wang O, Cai S, Zhao L, Zhao L. Composition, functional properties, health benefits and applications of oilseed proteins: A systematic review. Food Research International. 2023; 171:11306. [ DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2023.113061] 4. Pereira PH, Souza NF, Ornaghi Jr HL, de Freitas MR. Comparative analysis of different chlorine-free extraction on oil palm mesocarp fiber. Industrial Crops and Products. 2020; 150:112305. [ DOI:10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.112305] 5. Purnama KO, Setyaningsih D, Hambali E, Taniwiryono D. Processing, characteristics, and potential application of red palm oil-a review. International Journal of Oil Palm. 2020; 3(2):40-55. [ DOI:10.35876/ijop.v3i2.47] 6. Perera SA. Oil palm and coconut. In Alien Gene Transfer in Crop Plants, Volume 2: Achievements and Impacts 2013 (pp. 231-252). New York, NY: Springer New York. [ DOI:10.1007/978-1-4614-9572-7_11] 7. Mba OI, Dumont M-J, Ngadi M. Palm oil: Processing, characterization and utilization in the food industry-A review. Food bioscience. 2015; 10: 26-41. [ DOI:10.1016/j.fbio.2015.01.003] 8. Tan CH, Lee CJ, Tan SN, Poon DTS, Chong CYE, Pui LP. Red palm oil: A review on processing, health benefits and its application in food. Journal of oleo science. 2021; 70(9): 1201-10. [ DOI:10.5650/jos.ess21108] 9. Zulkiply SH, Balasubramaniam V, Abu Bakar NA, Abd Rashed A, Ismail SR. Effects of palm oil consumption on biomarkers of glucose metabolism: A systematic review. PloS one. 2019; 14(8):e0220877. [ DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0220877] 10. Alhaji AM, Almeida ES, Carneiro CR, da Silva CA, Monteiro S, Coimbra JS. Palm oil (elaeis guineensis): a journey through sustainability, processing, and utilization. Foods. 2024; 13(17):2814. [ DOI:10.3390/foods13172814] 11. Wang FC, Gravelle AJ, Blake AI, Marangoni AG. Novel trans fat replacement strategies. Current Opinion in Food Science. 2016; 7:27-34. [ DOI:10.1016/j.cofs.2015.08.006] 12. Mancini A, Imperlini E, Nigro E, Montagnese C, Daniele A, Orrù S, Buono P. Biological and nutritional properties of palm oil and palmitic acid: effects on health. Molecules. 2015; 20(9): 17339-17361. [ DOI:10.3390/molecules200917339] 13. Bansal G, Zhou W, Barlow PJ, Lo H-L, Neo F-L. Performance of palm olein in repeated deep frying and controlled heating processes. Food chemistry. 2010; 121(2): 338-47. [ DOI:10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.12.034] 14. Kellens M, Gibon V, Hendrix M, De Greyt W. Palm oil fractionation. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 2007; 109(4): 336-49. [ DOI:10.1002/ejlt.200600309] 15. Wang F, Zhao D, Yang Y, Zhang L. Effect of palm oil consumption on plasma lipid concentrations related to cardiovascular disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition. 2019 Sep;28(3):495-506. 16. Absalome MA, Massara CC, Alexandre AA, Gervais K, Chantal GG, Ferdinand D, Rhedoor AJ, Coulibaly I, George TG, Brigitte T, Marion M. Biochemical properties, nutritional values, health benefits and sustainability of palm oil. Biochimie. 2020 Nov 1;178:81-95. [ DOI:10.1016/j.biochi.2020.09.019] 17. Gesteiro E, Guijarro L, Sánchez-Muniz FJ, Vidal-Carou MD, Troncoso A, Venanci L, Jimeno V, Quilez J, Anadón A, González-Gross M. Palm oil on the edge. Nutrients. 2019 Aug 26;11(9):2008. [ DOI:10.3390/nu11092008] 18. de Almeida ES, da Silva Damaceno D, Carvalho L, Victor PA, dos Passos RM, de Almeida Pontes PV, Cunha-Filho M, Sampaio KA, Monteiro S. Thermal and physical properties of crude palm oil with higher oleic content. Applied Sciences. 2021; 11(15):7094. [ DOI:10.3390/app11157094] 19. Ribeiro JA, Almeida ES, Neto BA, Abdelnur PV, Monteiro S. Identification of carotenoid isomers in crude and bleached palm oils by mass spectrometry. LWT. 2018; 89:631-7. [ DOI:10.1016/j.lwt.2017.11.039] 20. Guadalupe GA, Lerma-García MJ, Fuentes A, Barat JM, Bas MdC, Fernández-Segovia I. Presence of palm oil in foodstuffs: Consumers' perception. British Food Journal. 2019; 121(9): 248-62. [ DOI:10.1108/BFJ-09-2018-0608] 21. Verneau F, La Barbera F, Amato M, Sodano V. Consumers' concern towards palm oil consumption: An empirical study on attitudes and intention in Italy. British Food Journal. 2019; 121(9): 1982-97. [ DOI:10.1108/BFJ-10-2018-0659] 22. Alam S. A case study of consumer preferences towards different brands of palm oil in. Food Research. 2020; 4(5): 40-52. [ DOI:10.26656/fr.2017.4(S5).012] 23. Bispo AM, Alves ASB, da Silva EF, Krumreich FD, Nunes IL, Ribeiro CDF. Perception, Knowledge, and Consumption Potential of Crude and Refined Palm Oil in Brazilian Regions. Foods. 2024; 13(18): 222923. [ DOI:10.3390/foods13182923] 24. Monde A, Moundounga J, Camara-Cisse M, Gauze-Gnagne-Agnero C, Nguetta R, Fogha D, et al. Knowledge, attitudes and practices on the nutritional values of palm oil among medical and paramedical personnel at the Abidjan Heart Institute. International Journal of Biological and Chemical Sciences 2019; 13(4): 1969-79. [ DOI:10.4314/ijbcs.v13i4.5] |
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
|
Seraj Z, Khorshidian N, Mohammadi M, Yousefi M, Gharibi F. Assessing the Awareness of Medical Students at Semnan University of Medical Sciences Regarding Palm Oil Consumption: A Cross-Sectional Study. Iranian J Nutr Sci Food Technol 2026; 21 (3) :25-37 URL: http://nsft.sbmu.ac.ir/article-1-4083-en.html
|
