Determination of the relationship between the nutritional knowledge level and healthy food preference of employees in a 5-star hotel in Istanbul

The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the nutritional knowledge level and healthy food preferences of employees working at a 5-star hotel in Istanbul. Data were collected by applying a survey to 325 hotel personnel who volunteered to participate in the study using the face-to-face interview method. The survey form includes demographic information, nutritional habits, height and body weight values, the Nutrition Knowledge Level for Adults (YETBİD) scale and a 24-hour retrospective food consumption record. The data obtained in the study were evaluated using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0 statistical program and the BEBİS program. Frequency and percentage analyses were used to determine the descriptive characteristics of the participants in the study, and mean and standard deviation statistics were used to examine the scale. Kurtosis and Skewness values were examined to determine whether the research variables showed a normal distribution. The relationships between the dimensions determining the scale levels of the participants were examined using Pearson correlation analyses. In examining the differences in scale levels according to the descriptive characteristics of the participants, independent groups t-test, one-way analysis of variance (Anova) and post hoc (Tukey, LSD) analyses were used. As a result of this study, the average basic nutrition knowledge score of the individuals was found to be 37.5±6.65, and the average food preference score was found to be 11.9±4.70. As a result of the analysis, it is seen that there is a positive and statistically significant correlation between basic nutrition knowledge and food preference scores (r=0.304, p<0.001). This result shows that as the basic nutrition knowledge level of the participants increases, they tend to make healthier food preferences.