Knowledge and attitudes toward genetically modified (GM) food among health sciences university students in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract

Purpose Genetically modified (GM) foods have global importance as they can significantly improve food security challenges. However, risks associated with the consumption of GM foods have affected consumers’ acceptance. This study aims to assess the student’s awareness regarding GM foods. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey-based study was conducted to explore the knowledge and attitude of health sciences university students toward GM foods. Students (n = 400) from different academic disciplines were participated in the study. Findings The majority of the university students heard about GM organisms and GM food (67.5% and 60.8%, respectively) and have correctly defined GM foods (48.2%). The mean percentage score of knowledge and attitude toward GM foods among university students was 36.0 ± 29.4% and 29.8 ± 23.1%, respectively. No significant difference was observed in knowledge and attitude between undergraduate and postgraduate students. A significant difference was found toward the acceptability of GM food in students from different health sciences disciplines (p = 0.006). Originality/value The findings indicate that educational programs are needed to improve the knowledge of students about GM food and food safety challenges.

Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes on Genetically Modified Foods Among Students Studying Life Sciences

“…Informed consent from each participant was obtained before conducting the survey. A structured questionnaire was formulated after reviewing the relevant literature [12][13][14] and the developed questionnaire was pretested (n=10) and was checked for content validity with the help of an expert from the field of genetics. The scores obtained were categorized into tertiles as high, medium, and low scores on the basis of the responses obtained.…”

The implicit and explicit attitudes of Chinese university students towards genetic modification

“…For example, university-educated groups have more positive attitudes and a stronger purchase intention with regard to GM foods ( Özel et al, 2010 ; Jiang et al, 2015 ; Niu et al, 2019 ; Wang et al, 2021 ). Also, most university students are aware of GM technology ( Amin et al, 2021 ). Education, as an important means of socialization, determines the degree of human socialization, and the degree of socialization determines the shaping of behaviors and perceptions ( Xu, 2020 ).…”