Examination of nutrition habits and knowledge levels of students studying in sports sciences

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the nutritional habits and knowledge levels of university students studying in sports sciences department. 282 individuals from Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University and Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Sport Sciences participated in the study in the 2017-2018 academic year. In order to determine the nutritional status and nutritional habits of individuals, "Food Consumption Frequency Form" was applied. Nutrition Information Level Form was applied to determine the nutritional knowledge level of the students studying in sports sciences. A 10-question questionnaire consisting of an adequate and balanced nutrition section was applied, and the data obtained were evaluated based on correct and incorrect answers. In the statistical analysis process, frequency and chi-square analyzes were used in SPSS 21.0 program. At the end of the study, it was found that the nutritional habits of the students did not show a significant difference according to the gender variable in general (p> 0.05). It was determined that the majority of the students consumed foods that were harmful to health as well as health-beneficial foods. In addition, it was found that the students generally ate their main meals at home, that the majority of the students had not received nutritional education before, and that the majority of the students had a moderate level of healthy nutrition. On the other hand, it was observed that the students answered the questions in the nutritional information level form to a great extent. According to the findings, it can be said that gender is not an important determinant on the eating habits of the students of sports sciences department and healthy eating habits are low although the students' knowledge level is high. Key Words: Nutrition, Nutrition in sports, Sports