Nutritional habits, attitudes and behaviors of secondary school 6th grade students and their use of information on food labels

The aim of this study is to determine the nutritional habits, attitudes and behaviors of 6th grade middle school students and their use of food labels in daily food shopping. The study examined whether the nutritional habits of the students and the use of the information on food labels differed according to demographic variables such as gender, number of family members and parents' level of education. The study was conducted using the cross-sectional survey model, one of the quantitative research designs. The study group consisted of a total of 276 students studying in two secondary schools in the Söke district of Aydın province. Data were collected through the "Personal Information Form", "Nutrition Habit, Attitude and Behavior Survey" and "Nutrition Label Usage Status Survey". The data used in the study were analyzed with the Chi-square test. The findings showed that there were significant differences in the students' nutritional habits and tendency to use food labels. It was determined that a significant portion of the students frequently skipped breakfast. It was observed that male students had higher fast food consumption rates, while female students tended to prefer healthier food choices. It has been determined that the level of education of parents has a positive effect on the nutritional awareness of students. It has been determined that more attention is paid to the use of nutritional labels, especially in groups where the level of education of families is high. In conclusion, this study provides important data for the development of educational programs that increase nutritional awareness for students. It has been understood once again that healthy nutrition is not only an individual habit, but also has critical importance in terms of social health.