An investigation into university staff's attitudes towards healthy eating, their levels of nutritional knowledge and their sleep quality

The aim of this study is to examine university employees' attitudes towards healthy eating, their level of nutritional knowledge, and their sleep quality; to determine whether these variables differ according to various demographic characteristics; and to reveal the relationships between the variables. The study is a quantitative research designed using a correlational survey model. The population of the study consists of academic, administrative, and support staff working at state universities in Turkey, and the sample comprises 402 university employees working at Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the Healthy Eating Attitude Scale (HEAS), the Nutrition Knowledge Level Test (NKLT), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Due to the non-normal distribution of the data, Mann– Whitney U, Kruskal–Wallis, and Spearman rho correlation analyses were used in the analyses. According to the research findings, healthy eating attitude scores differed significantly according to gender and age variables; male employees and individuals in the 18–25 age group were found to have higher attitude scores. It was found that the level of nutrition knowledge did not differ significantly according to gender and job type. In terms of sleep quality, educational level and chronic disease status emerged as significant determinants; it was determined that sleep quality improved as educational level increased, while employees with chronic diseases had lower sleep quality. When examining the relationships between variables, a positive and moderately significant relationship was found between attitudes towards vii healthy eating and nutrition knowledge level, while no significant relationship was found between nutrition attitudes and nutrition knowledge level and sleep quality. In conclusion, it was observed that the health behaviours of university employees have a multidimensional structure; nutritional knowledge strengthens attitudes, but sleep quality is more affected by factors such as stress, educational level, and chronic health status. The findings indicate the necessity of comprehensive, preventive, and institutional health policies aimed at improving employee health in universities.