The relationship between nutrition knowledge and belief levels regarding dietary supplements in individuals engaged in fitness

Nutrition and physical activity are essential for living healthy and minimizing age-related health problems. This quantitative study examines the relationship between the nutritional habits of fitness-oriented individuals and their attitudes toward using ergogenic supplements. 193 people, 106 (54.9%) women and 87 (45.1%) men, who attend a foundation university sports center in Istanbul, participated in the study. When the average age and education status are examined, it is seen that the women are 24.21±6.64 years old, and 71.7% of them have a bachelor's degree. The men are 23.31±5.56 years old, and 88.5% have bachelor's degrees. It was found that around 90% of both genders are single. The participants' average body mass index (BMI) was 22.36±3.70 kg/m² for women and 23.60±3.45 kg/m² for men. In the surveys applied to the participants, the participants' sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity status, nutritional habits and knowledge levels, belief and attitude levels towards food supplements, and food consumption characteristics were determined. When the data on the participants' physical activities were examined, it was determined that 41.5% of women had regular physical activity for 1-3 years, and 40.2% of men had regular physical activity for 3-6 months. It was determined that the preferred types of physical activity were fitness in women (34.9%) and walking in men (49.4%). The purpose of physical activity was determined as gaining weight or building muscle in women (32.1%) and losing weight in men (34.5%). It was determined that 77% of the participants had poor knowledge of sports nutrition, and the vast majority (81%) had not used ergogenic support products before or currently. It was determined that the most commonly used ergogenic support among the participants who used ergogenic support products were protein (8.8%) and creatine (9.8%). It was determined that the vast majority of the participants used ergogenic support products "by their own decision," and it was found that there was no statistical significance between the belief levels toward nutritional supplements and the level of nutritional knowledge (p>0.05). In this study, it was concluded that the majority of individuals engaged in fitness activities do not have sufficient nutritional knowledge and generally direct their nutritional processes based on incorrect information and personal decisions. It was observed that as participants' educational levels increased, their nutritional knowledge also improved. The carbohydrate, protein, and fat intakes of both male and female participants were found to be in line with reference values, while their daily cholesterol and sodium intakes exceeded reference values, and thiamine intake remained below reference levels in both groups. These findings highlight the importance of promoting adequate and balanced nutritional habits and increasing nutritional knowledge among fitness participants for the benefit of public health.