Evaluation of microbiota awareness and compliance with the Mediterranean Diet in Faculty of Health Sciences students

It is important to determine the relationship between microbiota awareness and compliance with the Mediterranean diet and to evaluate this relationship with health sciences faculty students who will be the health professionals of the future. The aim of this study is to determine the microbiota awareness level and probiotic-prebiotic knowledge of undergraduate students of the faculty of health sciences, to evaluate the students' adherence to the Mediterranean diet and to reveal the relationship between these parameters. The study was conducted with 508 students studying at state universities in Konya. While collecting the data of this descriptive study, the Microbiota Awareness Scale (MAS), Mediterranean Diet Adherence Scale (MEDAS), food consumption frequency form and questions related to the subject were used within the scope of the survey applied to the participants. SPSS 26.0 program was used in the analysis of the data. The participants' MEDAS score mean was 5.8±1.72; MAS score mean was 69.1±8.74. According to the results; it is seen that the participants' adherence to the Mediterranean diet was low. A positive (r=0.213) and significant (p<.001) relationship was found between the MAS total score and the MEDAS total score. Additionally, the MAS scores of students who received nutrition education in their undergraduate courses were higher than those who did not (p<.001). While the MAS scores increased significantly as the participants' grade level increased (p<.001), the MEDAS scores did not change significantly (p=0.093). It was determined that 78.9% of the participants correctly knew the definition of probiotic, 64.4% the definition of prebiotic, and 57.3% the definition of microbiota. As a result; microbiota awareness in students is associated with adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Microbiota awareness is higher in students with higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet. In addition, it is observed that microbiota awareness is higher in students who receive nutrition and microbiota education and who are in higher grades. This situation reveals the importance of the education to be provided to students within the scope of their curriculum with the aim of enabling health professionals who will be in the health sector in the future to better guide patients and society.