Assessing Knowledge Gaps and Awareness of Diabetes-Related Drug-Drug, Drug-Food, and Drug-Disease Interactions Among Pharmacy and Non-Pharmacy Students in Saudi Arabia

Background

Even though pharmacy students receive formal education and training on pharmacotherapy and interactions between drugs (DDIs), food (DFIs), and disease (DDIs), limited data exist on the comparison between professional knowledge gaps among pharmacy and non-pharmacy undergraduate students, which represents the educated population of society.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to assess and compare the awareness and perceptions of DDIs, DFIs, and DDsI related to diabetes mellitus among pharmacy and non-pharmacy students to identify educational needs and potential gaps in understanding of chronic diseases, particularly diabetes mellitus.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2024 and April 2025 among 570 students (285 pharmacy, 285 non-pharmacy) using a validated questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified predictors of KAP.

Results

Multivariate logistic regression showed that, among pharmacy students, age >25 years was associated with higher knowledge (AOR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.3–1.9, p = 0.01), while postgraduate status was associated with lower knowledge (AOR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.4–0.9, p = 0.01). Among non-pharmacy students, female gender was associated with higher knowledge (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2–0.9, p = 0.02), whereas postgraduate students showed lower knowledge compared with undergraduates (AOR = 0.2, 95% CI: 0.4–0.9, p = 0.05).

Conclusion

Although pharmacy students showed better understanding of DDIs, DFIs, and DDsI in relation to Diabetes Mellitus, there are evident gaps in attitudes and practices of both groups. Female gender, older persons, predicted positive outcomes, while postgraduate education showed a knowledge-attitude gap.