The effect of nutrition knowledge level on eating behaviors of individuals: A cross-sectional study

The study was conducted to determine the effect of the nutrition knowledge level of 377 individuals between the ages of 18-65 who applied to 3 different Family Health Centers in Izmir, Bursa and Istanbul on their eating behaviors. With the data collection form created, individuals' socio-demographic information, metabolic disease status, medication use, cigarette and alcohol consumption, physical activity levels and anthropometric measurements (height, weight, body mass index [BMI] waist circumference) were recorded. In addition, a Nutrition Knowledge Scale (NKS) was used to determine the nutrition knowledge level and a Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21) was used to evaluate eating behaviors. According to the results, the level of nutrition knowledge showed a significant difference according to sex. However, it was observed that there was no significant difference according to variables such as BMI, waist circumference, marital status, income level, physical activity level, metabolic disease status, smoking and alcohol consumption. There was no significant correlation between nutrition knowledge level and eating behaviors (p > 0.05). However, it is seen that variables such as sex, BMI, waist circumference, marital status, education level, and metabolic disease status create significant differences in different ways in eating behavior subgroups. These findings show that having nutrition knowledge is as essential as correctly interpreting and applying this knowledge. More studies are needed to understand the relationship between nutrition knowledge and eating behavior.