Evaluation of senior nursing students' nutritional knowledge in Baghdad city, Iraq

All members of society should eat healthily, but university students have particular requirements. ‎They have busy study schedules, eat out more frequently, and are influenced by their peers, just ‎like in the age of independence. They might also favor fast food as a way to save time and ‎money. They are compelled by this entire scenario to consume unhealthy meals like fast food. ‎Therefore, the main objective of this study is to investigate the level of nutritional knowledge ‎among senior students in nursing schools in Baghdad City/Iraq, and the sociodemographic factors ‎affecting their level. The sociodemographic information of the subjects was gathered using a ‎descriptive information form. The questionnaire asked 20 questions items related to nutrition, ‎participants' knowledge of nutrition, and the sources of this knowledge. The mean scores of the ‎participants on the GNKQ-R were 40.39 8.41 for the overall scale, 8.20 2.36 for the sub-‎dimension of dietary recommendations, 18.26 4.53 for the sub-dimension of food groups, 4.35 ‎‎2.14 for the sub-dimension of healthy food choices, and 9.57 3.09 for the sub-dimension of diet, ‎disease, and weight control. Also, the study's findings demonstrated a correlation between ‎sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge levels; knowledge of nutrition is one of the ‎elements impacting people's nutritional status and eating habits as individuals, families, and ‎society. An essential tool for assessing how well-nourished an individual, a group, or a ‎community is nutrition knowledge This study's recommendations include implementing dietary ‎guidelines in childcare facilities, schools, hospitals, and workplaces. Menus at fast food ‎restaurants and restaurants should include a list of nutrition information and calorie counts‏