Evaluation of women's knowledge and consumption habits on probiotics and probiotic products

In recent years, probiotics have gained attention for their potential positive effects in supporting women's health and preventing obstetric and gynecological complications. Probiotics, which are the major supporters of women's microbiota, are recommended to be recognized and included in women's dietary processes. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and consumption habits of women regarding probiotics and probiotic products. The research was conducted with 298 female participants using a descriptive cross-sectional design. Data were collected through a questionnaire containing questions about participants' knowledge and consumption habits regarding probiotics and probiotic products. SPSS 25.0 was used for data analysis. Among the participants, it has been found that the age groups of 26-35 and 36-45 have a higher rate of awareness of the term probiotic. As the education level of the participants increases, it is observed that the awareness of the term probiotic, probiotic foods, and their benefits also increases in parallel. It has been determined that 45.3% of the participants consume probiotic products, and 73.3% reported a reduction in disease-related symptoms as a result of probiotic product consumption. It has been determined that 22.5% of the participants benefited from probiotics for constipation, while 20.1% benefited for diarrhea issues. Among participants who do not consume probiotic products, 45.3% reported that they do not consume them due to lack of knowledge about the importance of probiotics. It has been found that yogurt and kefir are the most well-known probiotic foods. When looking at consumption frequencies; it has been determined that the most consumed probiotic food is olives consumed once a day, followed by cheese consumed once a day, and yogurt taking the third place with once a day consumption. Based on the research findings, it has been concluded that there is a need to raise awareness about the importance of probiotics for the health of women, who constitute the foundation of a healthy society, and to encourage their consumption of probiotics. Keywords: Probiotic, knowledge level, women, consumption characteristics