A Survey of Knowledge About the Interaction Between Food and Drugs Among the Syrian Population

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of food-drug interactions among the general public in Syria. A questionnaire was distributed at Tishreen University and published on social media between October and November 2023. A total of 419 responses were collected. 83.3% know that food can affect the effectiveness of medications. 85.2% think that food can increase or slow down the effects of medications. 77.6% believe that the effect of food-drug interactions varies depending on dose, age, and health status. 68.5% believe that food-drug interactions may lead to serious side effects. 45.8% believe that food-drug interactions can lead to death. 49.2% chose that the age group of patients at highest risk for food-drug interactions should be over 60 years of age. The questionnaire results showed that the level of knowledge and awareness of participants about food-drug interactions was good because the overall average of the number of participants who answered correctly was 63.34%.