P620 - THE EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL NUTRITION EDUCATION ON SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS: FINDINGS FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF A LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY

P620

THE EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL NUTRITION EDUCATION ON SUSTAINABLE AND HEALTHY EATING BEHAVIORS: FINDINGS FROM THE FIRST YEAR OF A LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDY

N. Ozkan^1,*, F. H. Dogan²

¹Nutrition and Dietetics, Ordu University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ordu, ²Nutrition and Dietetics, Selcuk University, Faculty of Kulu Health Sciences, Konya, Türkiye

Rationale: The rapid depletion of the world's natural resources has led people to use basic foodstuffs correctly and to adopt sustainable and healthy eating behaviors more. Effective dietitians in this field should be educated with this awareness during their professional education. This study aims to examine the relationship between sustainable and healthy eating behaviors (SHEB), cooking and food skills (CSFS), Mediterranean diet compliance (MEDAS) and eating disorder risk (EAT-26) in undergraduate Nutrition and Dietetics students.

Methods: This study is the first phase of a 4-year cohort. Participants included first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the Nutrition and Dietetics departments at Ordu and Selcuk Universities during the 2024–2025 academic year. Inclusion criteria included no diagnosis of chronic illness or eating disorder. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using validated scales. In addition, 24-hour dietary recalls and anthropometric measurements were collected. SPSS 27.0 was used for analysis. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Fifty-four students were evaluated. According to WHO classifications, 53.7% had normal BMI and 29.6% were overweight or obese. Mean scores were CSFS: 159.15±32.14, SHEB: 127.41±22.68, MEDAS: 4.72±1.57, EAT-26: 14.81±9.26. Eating disorder risk was found in 20.4%. CSFS was positively associated with SHEB (3.8x) and MEDAS (2.2x) (p<0.001). There was a non-significant inverse relationship with EAT-26. Mean energy intake was 1626.5±198.34 kcal/day. Omega-6/omega-3 ratio was 15.3±10.01.

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Conclusion: CSFS is positively linked with sustainable eating and Mediterranean diet adherence. Nevertheless, the presence of eating disorder risk and an imbalanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio highlight the need for further enhancement of early-stage vocational nutrition training programs.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared