Evaluation of probiotic and prebiotic food consumption and microbiota awareness levels of adolescents between 15-19 ages

Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of probiotic and prebiotic food consumption and microbiota awareness levels of adolescents between the ages of 15-19 and to evaluate the relationship between them. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted between May 2023 and September 2023 with 221 adolescents, boys and girls, aged 15-19, studying at Nilüfer Hatun Girls' Anatolian Imam Hatip High School, Multi-Program Anatolian High School and Hüsnü Özyeğin Anatolian High School. A survey form assessing sociodemographic characteristics, health status, nutritional habits, and probiotic and prebiotic knowledge, as well as a probiotic and prebiotic food consumption frequency survey and the Microbiota Awareness Scale were administered to the participants. Results: The average age of the participants is 16 years, the average body weight is 61.63±13.17 kg, the minimum body weight is 38 kg and the maximum is 120 kg. Average BMI values are 21.68±3.73 kg/m², minimum BMI is 13.42 kg/m² and maximum is 37.87 kg/m². A significant relationship was found between the participants' mother's education level, body weight, height, allergy status, constipation, water consumption frequency, skipping meals and gender(p<0.05). There is a significant relationship between the frequency of consumption of probiotic and prebiotic foods such as ayran, kefir, probiotic milk, probiotic yoghurt, artichoke, grapes and gender (p<0.05). According to the answers given to the microbiota awareness scale, there is a statistically significant relationship between the answers to questions 11 and 18 and gender (p <0.05). When we compared the microbiota awareness scale scores with other data, it was found that there was a significant relationship between the mother's education level and the general information score, which is the microbiota awareness scale sub-score (p<0.05). As the mother's education level increases, the general knowledge subscore increases. There is a significant relationship between participants' microbiota awareness scores and food allergy and drug use, constipation, probiotic and prebiotic knowledge level, frequency of consumption of kefir, vinegar, probiotic milk and yoghurt, probiotic supplements, leeks, garlic, strawberries, grapes, walnuts, prebiotic-added packaged products and prebiotic-containing nutritional supplements (p<0,05). Conclusion: Based on the participants' responses to the microbiota awareness scale, it was observed that their knowledge level about microbiota was low, and knowing the concepts of probiotic and prebiotic and pro-prebiotic foods in advance contributed to increasing microbiota awareness. There are not enough studies evaluating adolescents' microbiota awareness and the importance of nutrition on microbiota. Although our study contributes to the literature, more studies on microbiota are needed. April 2024, 118. pages. Keywords: Adolescent, Probiotic, Prebiotic, Microbiota, Microbiota Awareness