Investigation of food neophobia levels and attitudes toward functional foods in individuals on diets

The study aims to examine the levels of food neophobia and attitudes toward functional foods among individuals on a diet. A diet is adequate and balanced nutrition for an individual, taking into account their gender, age, weight, height, and health status. Food neophobia refers to fear or reluctance towards new and unfamiliar foods, while functional food is a concept that refers to foods that have similar characteristics to traditional foods, are consumed as part of a diet, and contribute to physiological benefits or disease risk reduction in addition to their basic nutritional properties. The study examined dieters' levels of food neophobia, their attitudes toward functional foods, and their frequency of functional food consumption. Initially, the food neophobia levels and attitudes toward functional foods of dieting individuals were analyzed within the scope of the descriptive survey model. Subsequently, the relational survey model was used to determine the relationship between these two variables. The research was conducted using a cross-sectional design, and the data were collected at a single point in time. The data were collected through an online questionnaire with the voluntary participation of individuals following a diet in Türkiye. A total of 465 participants were included in the study, and the analyses were conducted using the IBM SPSS 27.0 statistical software program. Independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to examine differences between variables and demographic factors, while correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationships between dependent variables. Frequency analysis was conducted to assess the frequency of functional food consumption. According to the analysis results, significant differences were found between demographic variables and both food neophobia and functional foods. When the frequency distribution of functional food knowledge levels was examined, 53.8% of participants were found to have a moderate level of knowledge, while 38.5% had a low level of knowledge. When functional food consumption frequency was examined, the most preferred foods were mineral water, garlic, dark chocolate, red fruits, green tea, and ginger, respectively, whereas fortified foods and foods enriched with functional ingredients were among the least preferred functional foods. Based on the analysis results, recommendations were presented to raise awareness, particularly among nutrition professionals and the food industry. Keywords: Neophobia, Functional food, Diet