Perceived Barriers to Maintaining a Healthy Diet Among Young Female Adults

Authors : Melda Kangalgil, Melike Şahin

Pages : 1299-1306

Doi:10.37989/gumussagbil.1803674

View : 173 | Download : 324

Publication Date : 2025-12-24

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Healthy eating is essential for the prevention of chronic diseases and the enhancement of physical and mental health, but young adults frequently encounter obstacles that negatively affect their diet quality. This study aims to assess the prevalence of poor diet quality among young women and to identify the perceived barriers to sustaining healthy eating. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 125 female university students living in dormitories. Diet quality was assessed objectively using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and subjectively via a 5-point Likert scale, where participants rated their overall diet from excellent to poor. The participants’ mean HEI-2015 score was 35.8 ± 12.4, and none of the participants were classified in the good diet quality category. According to self-perceived diet quality, 24% of the young women considered their diet good, 48.8% considered it fair, and 27.2% considered it poor. The most frequently reported barriers to maintaining a healthy diet were the lack of cooking facilities in the dormitory (20% as the first barrier, 28% as the second, and 14.4% as the third) and not having healthy eating habits (18.4%). Intervention strategies should focus on improving diet quality and promoting healthy eating behaviors among young adult women, taking into account the perceived barriers to maintaining a healthy diet.
Keywords : Diyet Modeli, Sağlıklı Beslenme, Algılanan Engel, Genç Yetişkin.

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