The analysis of the relationship between sustainable nutrition and eating awareness and body mass indices among sports sciences faculty students

It is of great importance for today and future generations to develop the awareness of health professionals receiving sports science education about sustainable diets with low environmental effects contributing to food and nutrition security and healthy living. This study aims to examine the relationship between knowledge and approaches as well as eating awareness and body mass indices of the students studying at Pamukkale University Faculty of Sports Sciences. The study was conducted with 213 undergraduate students using the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ) and the Sustainable and Healthy Eating Behavior Scale (SHEBS). The participants' body mass indexes were calculated by taking their height and weight measurements (BMI=19.8 kg/m²). During the data collection process, interviews were conducted on a voluntary basis with the permission of the relevant Department Head. Data were collected via Google Forms during the online education period. It was found that 26.8% of the students have heard the concept of sustainable nutrition, and 73.2% have not. From the gender perspective, the difference between the average score of women and men in disinhibition which is one of the MEQ subgroups was found to be statistically significant (p=0.008). The difference between the monthly budget allocated to nutrition and Animal Health, one of the sub-dimensions of SHEBS, is statistically significant (p=0.042). The Local Food sub-dimension of the SHEBS scale is statistically significant according to the participants' location (p=0.037). A positive correlation was found between the total score of SHEBS and the MEQ sub-dimension awareness (r=0,104). In order to develop strategies in this area, it is crucial for sports professionals to further grow their knowledge and awareness of sustainable nutrition, and to include more sustainable nutrition components in the undergraduate curriculum. Keywords: Body Mass Index, Eating Awareness, Healthy Eating, Sports Science Students, Sustainable Nutrition