A study on perception of ladies in a sport centre on healthy nutrition and genetically modified organisms and foods

Healthy nutrition is a natural necessity to meet the basic needs of the body and to sustain the growth, development and survival. Sport is the planned and organised physical activities of the body throughout the life to maintain health status. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are living organisms whose genetic material has been artificially manipulated through genetic engineering. This creates plants and/or animal that does not present in the nature through traditional crossbreeding methods. Foods produced from GMOs are called Genetically Modified Foods (GM foods). Even though these GM foods are actually present on shelf of markets in some countries, peoples in general, are not conscious neither for their presence in foodstuffs nor their positive or negative effects on health. Even in developed societies, people's knowledge on GM Foods is only superficial. In this study, a questionnaire was applied to 110 women attending Sport Centre in Yıldırım district of Bursa Province in order to determine the relation between their nutritional status, education level and perception on GMOs and GMFs. In general, it is seen that women are inadequate in terms of healthy nutrition and sports, especially women who are housewife lacking of sufficient physical activities are more affected by this situation. As for GM foods, unfortunately the level of knowledge is relatively low and education level appears to be not a determinative for awareness related to GM foods.