Abstract:

Aim: In this study, it was aimed to determine the nutritional literacy levels of adults with a high education level and to examine their levels in terms of socio-demographic characteristics. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 320 academicians working at different universities in Turkey (male: 44.7% female: 55.3%; mean age: 37.9±10.5 years). The data of the research were collected by the online survey method. The “Evaluation Instrument of Nutrition Literacy on Adults (EINLA)” was used to determine the nutritional literacy levels of the participants.Results: In the study, t was determined that 96.3% of the participants had adequate level of nutrition literacy. Half of the academics (50.0%) were found to be inadequate and 17.2% to have adequate literacy. Half of the academicians (50.0%) were found to be inadequate, and only 17.2% had inadequate literacy in the section where the questions about the portion sizes of foods were included. Nutritional literacy scores of women were found to be higher than men (p<0.05). Those who followed healthcare professionals or scientific publications had higher scores (p<0.05). Nutritional literacy scores decreased with increasing age (p>0.05). Nutritional literacy scores of those who were single, those with better income, those with chronic diseases and those with normal weight were closer to each other (p>0.05). Conclusion: As a result of the research; nutritional literacy levels of the participants were found to be high in general. However; the participants were found to be inadequate in terms of portion sizes. It is thought that it may be beneficial to disseminate nutrition education programs that will be provided by health professionals in order to adopt the concept of nutritional literacy to the society and to increase the level of literacy in order to reduce health problems and improve the health level.

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