Practical knowledge of nutrition in the health sciences
Poplin, L.E.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association 77(5): 576-580
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-8223 PMID: 7430515 Document Number: 165410
A 10-item questionnaire was developed to determine whether health science students could answer common dietary questions (Is water fattening? Is body fat lost by wearing a sauna suit? Is honey more nutritious than white sugar?) better than the general public. Students with a scientific background were better able to answer the questions than students with nutrition courses only or the general public. Scores rose with time and depth of nutrition instruction. Dental hygiene and nursing students performed best. Questions most frequently missed by non-students concerned the relative values of synthetic or natural vitamins, organic or chemical fertilizers, and honey or sugar.