University Students’ Nutritional Literacy and Associated Factors

Authors : Ayşe Sezer Balcı, Kerime Öğüt Düzen

Pages : 87-95

Doi:10.54061/jphn.1617335

View : 64 | Download : 34

Publication Date : 2025-08-22

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the nutritional literacy of university students and identify associated factors. Methods: The sample of the descriptive cross-sectional study consisted of 1306 university students from health and non-health departments of a university. The Adolescent Nutrition Literacy Scale and sociodemographic form were used as data collection tools. Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis test were used to analyze the data. Results: The study revealed that the overall mean score of the Adolescent Nutrition Literacy Scale (ANLS) was 66.35±7.5 (range: 34–107). Among the subscales, the Functional Nutrition Literacy (FNL) mean was 18.16±5.26, Interactive Nutrition Literacy (INL) was 18.77±4.53, and Critical Nutrition Literacy (CNL) was 29.40±3.87. The lowest score was observed in the INL subscale. Statistically significant differences were found based on gender (p<.05) for INL), academic department (p<.05 for ANLS), and food label reading (p<.05 for all subscales). Conclusion: These findings suggest that curricula in universities should be reviewed, and comprehensive nutrition education programs should be implemented for all students to improve nutrition literacy.
Keywords : beslenme, okuryazarlık, öğrenci, Türkiye, üniversite

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