Determination and assessment of nutritional status of different income groups living in Istanbul

The study was planned to determine the access to food and nutritional status of adults living in Istanbul according to their income level. The study was applied to 205 adults between the ages of 18-65 between 30.04.2023-10.05.2023. Participants were selected by stratified random sampling method. First, a 2-day food consumption record was taken from the participants. As a second stage, an online survey was sent to volunteers. The online survey includes questions about sociodemographic characteristics, income level, food consumption frequency, food security survey (FİES), and access to food. Nutritional value calculations were made with BEBIS 8.2 program. The data obtained was compared with the requirements in the Nutrition Guide Specific to Turkey (2022). IBM SPSS 25.0 package program was used in statistical analyses. Of the people participating in the study, 25.4% (n=52) were men and 74.6% (n=153) were women. Their average age is 34.60. 35.6% stated that they were private sector employees, 16.6% were students, and 16.1% were civil servants. According to personal income, vitamin B 12, vitamin B 2, vitamin C, folate, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, Iron g/mg intakes and requirement meeting percentages decreased significantly as the income level decreased. In the analysis made according to household income, the intake of B 12 and zinc decreases as the income level decreases, while the intake of vitamin A increases in the low-income group. When insufficient vitamin B 12 intake is examined, the percentage of people who are undernourished significantly increases in the low-income group. The amount of protein consumed meets the requirement in all income groups, but as the income level increases, the consumption amount increases. It has been observed that people with low income consume more chicken and eggs, which are low cost. Consumption of red meat and fish, which are more costly, decreased as income levels decreased. In our study, no significant relationship was found between food security and income status. Therefore, people need to be aware of micro and macronutrients and informed about appropriate micronutrient sources.