Use of probiotics in community pharmacy in South Africa: a survey of pharmacist attitudes, perceptions and knowledge
| dc.contributor.author | Kim, Yedam | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Orchard, Ané | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-11-19T13:34:09Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-11-19T13:34:09Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.description | A dissertation by monograph submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Pharmacy to the Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Therapeutic Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2024 | |
| dc.description.abstract | There has been a substantial increase in the consumption of probiotics in the last decade in South Africa. Pharmacists, as experts in the field of medicine, play a crucial role in educating both patients and other healthcare professionals on the appropriate use of probiotics in the healthcare setting. While there are several studies related to the use of probiotics, such as the study conducted among community pharmacists to explore their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding complementary and alternative medicines in South Africa, there is a gap in the literature regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of qualified practicing pharmacists in South Africa regarding probiotic use. The findings of this study provide information for evaluating the current state of awareness and understanding regarding probiotics within the pharmacist community, offering a foundation for potential interventions and educational initiatives. A cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted in community pharmacies across South Africa. Of the 476 study respondents, 237 were included in the final analysis, as 239 surveys were incomplete. Among the respondents, 18.5% demonstrated a good level of knowledge about probiotics, while 11.3% demonstrated a poor level of knowledge (Mean ± SD =13.81 ± 2.8). This finding demonstrated a lower knowledge level compared with similar studies conducted in other regions, such as Asia and the United States of America. These findings highlight a potential gap in knowledge among the respondents regarding the use of probiotics. Half of the respondents (49.9%) displayed positive attitudes toward probiotics (Mean ± SD = 43.33 ± 8.9) and 47.6% of the respondents displayed positive perceptions of probiotics (Mean ± SD = 32.14 ± 3.7). A significant association of knowledge of probiotics with biological sexes (X2 = 39.2132, p < 0.05) was found. There was a statistically significant difference in the demographics of respondents and their attitudes towards probiotics, including geographical region (X2 = 300.629, P<0.05), biological sex (X2 = 95.164, p < 0.05), age (X2 = 248.008, p < 0.05), highest degree obtained (X2 =191.428, p < 0.05), and the university from which they graduated (X2 = 417.775, p < 0.05). Statistically significant difference in the demographics of respondents and the perceptions of probiotics was found, including geographical region (X2 = 170.161, p < 0.05), age (X2 =52.378, p < 0.05), and the university from which they graduated (X2 = 238.514, p < 0.05. In this study, a significant but weak correlation between knowledge and attitude was identified (r = 0.1537, p = 0.0179). Correlation between attitudes and perception was also significant but weak (r = 0.3214, p = 0.000) and there was no statistically significant correlation between knowledge-perceptions variables (r = 0.0092, p = 0.8879). The study has identified limited knowledge regarding the use of probiotics among respondents, despite their positive attitudes and perceptions towards the use of probiotics. The study also has emphasized the complexity of factors influencing individuals' knowledge, attitudes and perceptions regarding probiotics. This study recommends further educational initiatives to investigate relationship between knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of pharmacists on the use of probiotics in South Africa | |
| dc.description.submitter | MM2024 | |
| dc.faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences | |
| dc.identifier | https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7484-499X | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Kim, Yedam. (2024). Use of probiotics in community pharmacy in South Africa: a survey of pharmacist attitudes, perceptions and knowledge [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WireDSpace. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10539/42754 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.rights | © 2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. | |
| dc.rights.holder | University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg | |
| dc.school | School of Therapeutic Sciences | |
| dc.subject | Probiotics | |
| dc.subject | Recommendation | |
| dc.subject | Safety | |
| dc.subject | Clinical indications | |
| dc.subject | Pharmacist | |
| dc.subject | UCTD | |
| dc.subject.other | SDG-3: Good health and well-being | |
| dc.title | Use of probiotics in community pharmacy in South Africa: a survey of pharmacist attitudes, perceptions and knowledge | |
| dc.type | Dissertation |