The effect of nutrition education on diet quality and sustainable and healthy eating behaviors

This study was carried out to determine the effect of nutrition education on diet quality, sustainable and healthy eating behaviors. The study was conducted with Başkent University Faculty of Health Sciences 3rd and 4th year students and 204 individuals in total were included in the study. 47.5% of the individuals are educated in nutrition and dietetics, 29.9% of them are in physiotherapy and rehabilitation, 16.2% are in nursing and 6.4% are in health management. In order to determine the characteristics, nutritional habits and sustainable and healthy eating behaviors of the individuals; A questionnaire form including personal information, anthropometric measurements, health status and nutritional habits, a 24-hour retrospective food consumption record for measuring diet quality, and a "Sustainable and Healthy Eating Behaviors Scale" were applied to measure sustainable and healthy eating behaviors. The Body Mass Index (BMI) average of the individuals participating in the study is 24±2.79 kg/m2 in men and 20.9±2.96 kg/m2 in women. In the study, the majority of the individuals who were educated in nutrition and dietetics (57.7%) thought that they were fed adequate and balanced, while the majority of the individuals (63.6%) who were educated in other departments did not think that they were fed adequate and balanced. Individuals skipped the most morning meals, lunch and evening meals, respectively. The majority of individuals (38.2%) who are trained in nutrition and dietetics prefer places that offer à la carte / table d'hote for meals outside the home, and the majority of individuals (%65.1) who are trained in other departments prefer fastfood restaurants (p <0.05). The average intake of riboflavin and vitamin B12 and the averages of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and manganese intake of girls who were educated in the nutrition and dietetics department were found to be lower than those of girls who were educated in other departments. The daily intake average of B12 was found to be significantly higher than the male individuals studying in other departments (p< 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between male individuals who were educated in nutrition and dietetics and male individuals who were educated in other departments in terms of daily intake average of other vitamins and minerals (p> 0.05). According to the evaluation of the Average Adequacy Rate (MAR) levels used to evaluate dietary quality, no statistically significant difference was found between individuals who were educated in nutrition and dietetics and individuals who were educated in other departments (p> 0.05). The average score of 'Healthy and Balanced Nutrition' factor has been determined higher for individuals who are trained in nutrition and dietetics. Mean scores of "Seasonal Food Specific" and "Low Fat" factor were found to be significantly higher in women educated in nutrition and dietetics compared to women educated in other departments (p <0.05). As a result, nutrition education is important both for healthy and balanced nutrition of individuals and for its contributions to sustainable nutrition resources for the environment. As a result of this study, it has been determined that nutrition education has effects on healthy and balanced nutrition and sustainable nutrition. Keywords: Sustainable nutrition, nutrition education, diet quality