Determination of fish consumption habits in Sakarya province

Fish is very important for human health thanks to its rich protein and mineral content. Although Turkey is surrounded by seas on three sides, the desired level of fish consumption has not been reached. The reason why this study was carried out in Serdivan district of Sakarya province; Serdivan district is the most populous, the highest population growth rate and the district with the highest population density after the central district. In addition, according to the research, being close to the Marmara and Black Sea Regions, which are the two regions where seafood is produced the most in Turkey, and the fact that Sakarya University and Sakarya University of Applied Sciences are located within the boundaries of the district are important and effective factors in the selection of Serdivan district. Since such a study has not been carried out in this region before, it is the first study conducted in the province and district of Sakarya. In this study, it was aimed to determine the fish consumption habits of individuals living in Serdivan district of Sakarya province and various factors affecting fish consumption. The study was conducted with a face-to-face survey technique with a total of 173 individuals, 92 men and 81 women. When the fish consumption preferences were examined, 88.40% stated that they consumed fish, 11.60% did not consume fish, and 34.78% stated that they did not consume fish as the reason for not consuming fish. The most consumed sea fish species is anchovy with 60.7%, and the freshwater fish is trout with 57.2%. The most preferred method in cooking is frying in oil with 34.44%. 79.72% of consumers prefer to consume fish in winter, 16.18% in autumn, and 60.10% of consumers prefer to buy fish from fishermen as a place of purchase. While 76.90% of the respondents were satisfied with the place where they bought fish, 23.10% stated that they were not satisfied and the most important reason for this was the unhygienic environment. When the fish meat consumption criteria of the participants were examined, they stated that they preferred fish meat because it was healthy and delicious.