Investigation of functional food knowledge, consumption frequency and nutritional status of pregnant women who applied to a health institution in İstanbul

The concept of functional food is known as foods that can be found naturally in foods and that, when consumed as a part of a normal diet, will have a positive effect on health, by increasing the amount of ingredients in foods when it is not considered sufficient, or by enriching them if there is none. Pregnancy is a period in which the need for energy and nutrients increases compared to a woman's normal life. The needs of the pregnant woman are determined by taking into account the health conditions she is in. A healthy, adequate and balanced diet during pregnancy is important for meeting the energy and nutrient needs of the pregnant woman, balancing the body stores, ensuring the growth and development of the baby, and preventing chronic diseases that may occur due to malnutrition and malnutrition that the baby may encounter after birth. Since the pregnancy period is important for maternal and infant health, with the participation of pregnant women in this research; It was aimed to examine the awareness of functional foods by pregnant women, the frequency of consumption during pregnancy and the healthy eating attitudes of pregnant women. Our research was planned in cross-sectional type. The universe of the research is a health institution located in Istanbul. The research was completed at Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital. The data were collected face-to-face from the participants on a voluntary basis to participate in the study, by randomly selected 12 pregnant women who applied to the outpatient clinic. The questionnaire form used to collect the data was prepared by the researcher by examining the studies on similar subjects with the literature review, and the Attitudes towards Healthy Eating Scale (SBITÖ) was used. It was determined that there was an increase in the frequency of functional food consumption of pregnant women before and during pregnancy. According to the results of the attitude scale and sub-dimensions of the pregnant women who participated in the study, there was a statistically significant difference between their previous hearing of the concept of functional food (p<0.001). A statistically significant relationship was found between the working status of pregnant women and their attitudes towards healthy eating (p<0.010). A statistically significant difference was found between the education level of the pregnant women who applied to Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital and the total score average of the attitude scale towards healthy nutrition. A significant relationship was found between the educational status of the participants and their thinking that functional foods have a positive effect on health (p<0.001). It was determined that the proportion of individuals who thought that functional foods had a positive effect on health increased as the level of the last completed school increased.