Evaluation of Nutritional Consumption Frequency of and Investigation of the Effect of Nutritional Knowledge Levels on Body Mass Index on University Students: A Sample of Istanbul Aydin University

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the frequency of food consumption of university students and to examine the effect of nutritional knowledge levels on Body Mass Index (BMI). Material and Methods: A questionnaire consisting of sociodemographic characteristics, nutritional habits, general nutrition information questionnaire (GBBA) and food consumption frequency was applied to 812 students studying at Istanbul Aydın University. Data were analyzed with SPSS v26. Results: The average age of the student is 20.87±1.27 years, 68.4% of the students are female and 31.6% are male. The mean BMI of the students was 22.82±2.91 kg/m2, 8.7% were underweight in terms of BMI, 65.3% were normal weight, 22.8% were obese and 3.2% were obese. GBBA point average of students; It is 253.92±25.64, and the median score of male students [131 (101-167)] in GBBA's “Nutrition Sources” sub-factor score is statistically higher than female students [128 (95-174)] (U= 63410; p