Effect of Nutrition Education on Diet Quality, Sustainable Nutrition and Eating Behaviors among University Students

Abstract

Objective Nutrition information is provided by proper nutrition education and nutrition education programs have a direct impact on nutrition knowledge and behavior. This study aims to determine the effect of nutrition education on diet quality, sustainable nutrition and eating behavior. Design Cross-sectional survey. Participants The study was carried out on a total of 204 individuals, 21 males and 183 females, who were studying in the 3rd and 4th grades of Başkent University Faculty of Health Sciences. Main outcome measures Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) score calculated with the Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR) was used to evaluate the diet quality. ‘Sustainable and Healthy Eating Behaviors Scale’ was applied to measure sustainable and healthy eating behaviors. Analysis A questionnaire including personal information and anthropometric measurements of the individuals and a 24-hour dietary recall was taken. Food consumption records were evaluated using the Nutrition Information System. In order to evaluate the quality of the diet, the Mean Adequacy Ratio (MAR) score calculated with the Nutrient Adequacy Ratio (NAR) was used. ‘Sustainable and Healthy Eating Behaviors Scale’ was applied to measure sustainable and healthy eating behaviors. SPSS 20.0 package program was applied to evaluate the data. Results In the study, 47.5% of the individuals were educated in Nutrition and Dietetics program and 52.5% were in other programs. The diet quality of 44.8% of the individuals studying in the Nutrition and Dietetics program and 56.4% of the individuals studying in the other programs were determined as ‘good’ according to the MAR levels classification. No significant difference was found in terms of MAR levels of individuals according to the departments they read (p > 0.05). The average score of the ‘Healthy and Balanced Nutrition’ factor in the scale of sustainable and healthy eating behaviors was higher in individuals who were studying in the Nutrition and Dietetics program. The average scores of ‘Seasonal Food’ and ‘Low Fat’ factor were found to be significantly higher in girls studying in the Nutrition and Dietetics program (p < 0.05). Conclusion It was determined that nutrition education is effective on sustainable and healthy eating behaviors. Considering the importance of nutrition education on the health of individuals and sustainable environment, it is of great importance in terms of public health to increase the awareness of the society on this issue.