PD040 - EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND EATING BEHAVIORS IN ADOLESCENTS ACCORDING TO SCHOOL TYPE

PD040

EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND EATING BEHAVIORS IN ADOLESCENTS ACCORDING TO SCHOOL TYPE

A. Başaran ¹, C. Süt Kurt¹, B. Dağ¹, A. Dağ^1,*

¹Nutrition and Dietetics , Lokman Hekim University, Ankara, Türkiye

Rationale: Adolescence is a critical period during which lifelong dietary habits are established. Although nutrition education is expected to promote healthy behaviours, higher knowledge levels do not always translate into healthier dietary practices. This study aimed to evaluate nutritional knowledge and eating behaviours among adolescents according to school type.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 535 adolescents aged 14–18 years in Ankara, Türkiye. Participants were divided into two groups: vocational high schools (Group 1, n=249) and Anatolian/science high schools (Group 2, n=286). Data were collected using a structured questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, dietary habits, and the Adolescent Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire.

Results: Nutritional knowledge scores were significantly higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (22.70±6.40 in Group 2 and 20.42±4.99 in Group 1; p<0.001). However, regular meal consumption was similar between groups, and breakfast skipping was common. Fruit consumption was higher in Group 2 (51.7% in Group 2 and 34.1% in Group 1), as well as nut consumption (26.2% and 11.6%, respectively), whereas consumption of sugary snacks was higher in Group 1 (40.6% in Group 1 and 47.9% in Group 2; p<0.001). The highest knowledge scores were observed in obese individuals (28.22±3.52 in Group 2 and 19.56±6.13 in Group 1; p<0.05). Although the rate of receiving nutrition education was higher in Group 1, it was not associated with knowledge level or dietary behaviours.

Conclusion: Higher nutritional knowledge does not necessarily translate into healthier eating behaviours among adolescents. These findings suggest that nutrition education should be supported by behaviour-focused and multi-component interventions to effectively improve dietary habits.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared