Assessment of healthy nutritional attitudes and quality of life in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome

Aim: This study was conducted to examine the effect of healthy eating attitudes on quality of life in women diagnosed with PCOS. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study included 268 women aged 18–49 years who applied to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Outpatient Clinic of Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital and were diagnosed with PCOS by a physician. Data were collected between February and April 2026. The General Information Form, HEAS, and PCOSQ-50 were used as data collection tools. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS 26. Results: A significant positive correlation was found between healthy eating attitudes and PCOS-specific quality of life (r=0.696; p<0.001). Healthy eating attitude was found to explain 48.4% of the variance in quality of life (β=0.696; R²=0.484; p<0.001). Among the SBİTÖ subdimensions, knowledge about nutrition (β=0.367), feelings toward nutrition (β=0.318), and positive eating habits (β=0.310) had significant positive effects on quality of life (p<0.001), whereas poor eating habits had no significant effect (β=-0.068; p=0.271). Healthy eating attitude was negatively associated with BMI (β=-0.290; R²=0.084) and waist circumference (β=-0.392; R²=0.154) (p<0.001). Conclusion: Healthy eating attitude appears to be an important factor associated with quality of life in women with PCOS. Holistic approaches that support healthy eating behaviors and include the management of BMI and waist circumference are considered important in the management of PCOS.