ABSTRACT

This study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and behavior level of medical school students about genetically modified organisms. This crosssectional study was conducted between February and March 2010. The socio-demographical characteristics of the participants and their data about knowledge, attitudes and behaviors on genetically modified organisms were collected using a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Among all the participants 71.9% (n=308), 56.9 % (n=243) and 83.2% (n=356) stated that people in the community were not adequately informed about genetically modified foods, they considered production of genetically modified foods is risky for all living organisms in the nature, the food they currently preferred might include some genetically modified products, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference among the classes of the students regarding their attitudes towards the suggestion “there is no harm in consuming genetically modified foods” (p<0.001). This difference probably originated from the observation that second grade students had a more suspicious attitude compared to the ones in the other grades. The risk perception of the participants of our study, who are the future workforce in health sector, towards the genetically modified foods was found to be high while their level of information was low. It is recommended that educational activities aiming to eliminate the knowledge gap be included in the curriculum plans.

Keywords: Genetically modified organism, risk, attitude