Aksaray University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine administrative-academic personnel and students' obesity awareness and nutritional habits determination

Obesity, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared as a universal epidemic, is a problem of significant dimensions that seriously affects morbidity and mortality. Obesity is among the most serious health problems in developed and developing countries and significantly affects the quality of life. Obesity is caused by factors such as malnutrition, lack of physical activity, hormonal and genetic disorders, psychological problems, etc. This study was conducted to determine the obesity awareness and nutritional habits of Aksaray University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Administrative-Academic Staff and Students. This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted at Aksaray University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine between February 2025 and April 2025, on a volunteer basis, with a total of 182 people, 108 male and 74 female. Data were collected face to face with the researcher. The questionnaire form was prepared by using the relevant literature. The obtained data were evaluated using Fisher's Exact and Chi-Square tests, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Information was obtained about the participants' age ranges, BMIs, marital status, education levels, meal consumption frequencies, eating habits, food consumption rates, chronic disease status, and food group consumption frequencies. Survey data regarding the participants' eating habits were analyzed. It was determined that 3.30% of the participants were underweight, 52.20% were within the ideal BMI range, 35.16% were slightly overweight, and 9.34% were obese. It was determined that 5.49% of the participants had high school education, 81.87% had university education, 1.10% had a master's degree, and 11.54% had a doctorate. 4.40% of the participants had one meal, 48.90% had two meals, 39.56% had three meals, and 7.14% had more than three meals. It was determined that the most irregular main meal was breakfast with 57.14%, and the most regularly consumed main meal was dinner with 85.71%. It was determined that the rate of participants having snacks was 47.80% and the most frequent snack was 25.7%. When the participants' food group consumption frequencies were evaluated, the frequencies with the highest rates were determined as follows; milk group every other day consumption rate was 32.97%, bread group every day 60.99%, vegetable once or twice a week consumption rate was 35.16%, fruit once or twice a week 44.51%, meat group (meat, chicken, cheese) every other day consumption rate was 32.97%, egg every day consumption rate was 32.42% and oilseed once or twice a week consumption rate was 39.01%. As a result, although the obesity rates of the individuals participating in the study were found to be low, it was determined that their balanced nutrition and regular meal habits were not at a good level. It was concluded that there was a need for training presentations on subjects such as adequate and balanced nutrition and physical activity in order to raise awareness and raise awareness among the administrative-academic staff and students of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.