Investigation of information and preference on the use of herbal products in healthy nutrition: The case of Fatih

Individuals use herbal products in their diets to protect their health. The demand for herbal products consisting of extracts or essential oils of the treated or untreated parts of plants is increasing day by day. Based on this demand, it is very important to determine the information of people about herbal products, their preference and usage levels, what features they pay attention to when buying herbal products, how they choose the herbal products they will use in healthy nutrition, the purpose / purposes with which they prefer the use of herbal products, and whether there is an effect of doctor, pharmacist, dietician or other factors in their usage preferences. In this study, the knowledge levels, awareness levels and preference reasons of individuals over the age of 18 residing in the Fatih district about the use of herbal products in healthy nutrition were determined and evaluated by applying a 27-question survey. 292 participants participated in the study. It has been determined that university graduate individuals are more conscious in perceiving the scope of herbal products. At the point of supply of herbal products, herbalists rank first with 88.4%. It was found that primary school graduates were more sensitive to expiration dates than university graduates. With 43.8 %, the majority of the participants think that herbal products have a place in the treatment. While 64.7 % of the participants stated that they chose herbal products by asking the doctor; It was found that individuals between the ages of 18-30 preferred asking a dietitian with 26.5%. While 79% of the participants stated that they researched herbal products before using them; elementary school graduates have been found to be more inclined to research. While 69.2 % of the participants said that herbal products may interact with drugs/foods; it was found that primary, middle and high school graduates were more likely to agree with this statement than university graduates. With the data obtained, the place of herbal products among the healthy eating preferences of our people is revealed. Thus, it has contributed to the creation of data that experts can use in planning public health and directing our people to healthy nutrition.