Determination of probiotic knowledge levels and consumption rates of veterinary faculty students

Healthy nutrition is the basis of multiple diseases and healthy life in every cycle of life. In this study, we aimed to determine the level of knowledge of veterinary faculty students about probiotic-containing foods and to compare their consumption status. Between October 2024 and November 2024, a total of 150 people, 79 female and 71 male, who were veterinary faculty students, were included in our study. Information was obtained about the participants' knowledge about the concept of probiotics, probiotic food consumption status and reasons, factors affecting probiotic food consumption and which diseases it is beneficial for. The tables including the statements of the participants about probiotic food components were evaluated. While 98.7% of the individuals who received health education knew the concept of probiotics, 1.3% did not. While 94.7% knew the foods containing probiotics, the rate of those who did not know was 5.3%. The rate of those who thought that probiotic foods were beneficial for health was 100%. While the rate of consuming probiotic foods was 89.3%, the rate of not consuming probiotic foods was 10.7%. Even though it was determined that the rate of knowing the probiotic concept was high among the participants of the study, it was determined that they did not know the food groups containing probiotic nutrients sufficiently, but they still consumed these food groups. It can be concluded that there is a need to inform veterinary faculty students in order to raise awareness in terms of the nutrient content and health benefits of these food groups. Keywords: Probiotic, food, health, Veterinarian