Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from Palestine

Probiotics are live microorganisms believed to confer health benefits when consumed appropriately. Prebiotics are non-digestible food components that promote health by encouraging the growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms. Synbiotics are a combination of probiotics and prebiotics. This stu...

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Main Authors: Abdel Naser Zaid, Iyad Ali, Nidal Jaradat, Rowa Al Ramahi, Rula Hmeidat, Sanabil Nofal, Raneem Diab, Manwa Nasser, Heba Rabaya, Mohamed Tamimi, Ramzi Shawahni
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PAGEPress Publications 2025-02-01
Series:Journal of Biological Research
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Online Access:https://www.pagepressjournals.org/jbr/article/view/12742
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author Abdel Naser Zaid
Iyad Ali
Nidal Jaradat
Rowa Al Ramahi
Rula Hmeidat
Sanabil Nofal
Raneem Diab
Manwa Nasser
Heba Rabaya
Mohamed Tamimi
Ramzi Shawahni
author_facet Abdel Naser Zaid
Iyad Ali
Nidal Jaradat
Rowa Al Ramahi
Rula Hmeidat
Sanabil Nofal
Raneem Diab
Manwa Nasser
Heba Rabaya
Mohamed Tamimi
Ramzi Shawahni
author_sort Abdel Naser Zaid
collection DOAJ
description Probiotics are live microorganisms believed to confer health benefits when consumed appropriately. Prebiotics are non-digestible food components that promote health by encouraging the growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms. Synbiotics are a combination of probiotics and prebiotics. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of Palestinian healthcare professionals regarding probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. A cross-sectional study was conducted across the West Bank using a structured questionnaire, and descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS. The results indicated that 68.5% of physicians and 83.4% of pharmacists were aware of probiotics, whereas only 37% of physicians and 48% of pharmacists had knowledge of prebiotics. Awareness of synbiotics was even lower, with only 20% of physicians and 26.6% of pharmacists reporting familiarity. These findings suggest that while there is a reasonable level of knowledge about probiotics, awareness of prebiotics and synbiotics is significantly lacking, which limits their use. Enhancing knowledge of these products could be facilitated through workshops, ongoing education, and the involvement of medical representatives.
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publishDate 2025-02-01
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spelling doaj-art-82bea0c747244594a79bc3d50b44f77a2025-02-06T10:56:35ZengPAGEPress PublicationsJournal of Biological Research1826-88382284-02302025-02-0110.4081/jbr.2025.12742Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from PalestineAbdel Naser Zaid0Iyad Ali1Nidal Jaradat2Rowa Al Ramahi3Rula Hmeidat4Sanabil Nofal5Raneem Diab6Manwa Nasser7Heba Rabaya8Mohamed Tamimi9Ramzi Shawahni10Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusDepartment of Food Production, Faculty of Agriculture, An-Najah National University, TulkarmDivision of Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, NablusProbiotics are live microorganisms believed to confer health benefits when consumed appropriately. Prebiotics are non-digestible food components that promote health by encouraging the growth or activity of beneficial microorganisms. Synbiotics are a combination of probiotics and prebiotics. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and awareness of Palestinian healthcare professionals regarding probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics. A cross-sectional study was conducted across the West Bank using a structured questionnaire, and descriptive analysis was performed using SPSS. The results indicated that 68.5% of physicians and 83.4% of pharmacists were aware of probiotics, whereas only 37% of physicians and 48% of pharmacists had knowledge of prebiotics. Awareness of synbiotics was even lower, with only 20% of physicians and 26.6% of pharmacists reporting familiarity. These findings suggest that while there is a reasonable level of knowledge about probiotics, awareness of prebiotics and synbiotics is significantly lacking, which limits their use. Enhancing knowledge of these products could be facilitated through workshops, ongoing education, and the involvement of medical representatives. https://www.pagepressjournals.org/jbr/article/view/12742Probioticsprebioticssynbioticsawareness
spellingShingle Abdel Naser Zaid
Iyad Ali
Nidal Jaradat
Rowa Al Ramahi
Rula Hmeidat
Sanabil Nofal
Raneem Diab
Manwa Nasser
Heba Rabaya
Mohamed Tamimi
Ramzi Shawahni
Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from Palestine
Journal of Biological Research
Probiotics
prebiotics
synbiotics
awareness
title Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from Palestine
title_full Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from Palestine
title_fullStr Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from Palestine
title_full_unstemmed Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from Palestine
title_short Knowledge and awareness of Palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics: a cross-sectional study from Palestine
title_sort knowledge and awareness of palestinian health care professionals towards probiotics prebiotics and synbiotics a cross sectional study from palestine
topic Probiotics
prebiotics
synbiotics
awareness
url https://www.pagepressjournals.org/jbr/article/view/12742
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