Katerina Belogianni1,2, Ann Ooms1, Anastasia Lykou3, Hannah Jayne Moir4. 1. Faculty of Health, Social Care and Education, Kingston University & St George's, University of London, Kingston upon Thames, UK. 2. Department of Nutritional Sciences, King's College London, 150 Stamford Street FWB, Room 4.103, LondonSE1 9NH, UK. 3. Department of Education, University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus. 4. Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing, Kingston University London, Kingstonupon Thames, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate nutrition knowledge (NK) in university students, potential factors affecting knowledge and predictors of good NK. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017-2018. The revised General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire was administered online to assess overall NK and subsections of knowledge (dietary recommendations, nutrient sources of foods, healthy food choices and diet-disease relationships). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare overall NK scores according to sex, age, ethnicity, field of study, studying status, living arrangement, being on a special diet and perceived health. Logistic regression was performed to identify which of these factors were associated with a good level of NK (defined as having an overall NK score above the median score of the sample population). SETTING: Two London-based universities. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and ninety students from various academic disciplines. RESULTS: The highest NK scores were found in the healthy food choices (10 out of 13 points) and the lowest in the nutrient sources of foods section (25 out of 36 points). Overall NK score was 64 out of 88 points, with 46·8 % students reaching a good level of knowledge. Knowledge scores significantly differed according to age, field of study, ethnicity and perceived health. Having good NK was positively associated with age (OR = 1·05, (95 % CI 1·00, 1·1), P < 0·05), White ethnicity (OR = 3·27, (95 % CI 1·68, 6·35), P < 0·001) and health rating as very good or excellent (OR = 4·71, (95 % CI 1·95, 11·4), P < 0·05). CONCLUSIONS: Future health-promoting interventions should focus on increasing knowledge of specific nutrition areas and consider the personal and academic factors affecting NK in university students.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate nutrition knowledge (NK) in university students, potential factors affecting knowledge and predictors of good NK. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2017-2018. The revised General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire was administered online to assess overall NK and subsections of knowledge (dietary recommendations, nutrient sources of foods, healthy food choices and diet-disease relationships). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare overall NK scores according to sex, age, ethnicity, field of study, studying status, living arrangement, being on a special diet and perceived health. Logistic regression was performed to identify which of these factors were associated with a good level of NK (defined as having an overall NK score above the median score of the sample population). SETTING: Two London-based universities. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and ninety students from various academic disciplines. RESULTS: The highest NK scores were found in the healthy food choices (10 out of 13 points) and the lowest in the nutrient sources of foods section (25 out of 36 points). Overall NK score was 64 out of 88 points, with 46·8 % students reaching a good level of knowledge. Knowledge scores significantly differed according to age, field of study, ethnicity and perceived health. Having good NK was positively associated with age (OR = 1·05, (95 % CI 1·00, 1·1), P < 0·05), White ethnicity (OR = 3·27, (95 % CI 1·68, 6·35), P < 0·001) and health rating as very good or excellent (OR = 4·71, (95 % CI 1·95, 11·4), P < 0·05). CONCLUSIONS: Future health-promoting interventions should focus on increasing knowledge of specific nutrition areas and consider the personal and academic factors affecting NK in university students.
Entities:
Keywords:
Diet; Health; Knowledge; Universities; University students; Young adults
Authors: Anna Merwid-Ląd; Marta Szandruk-Bender; Agnieszka Matuszewska; Małgorzata Trocha; Beata Nowak; Marie Oster; Adam Szeląg Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-06-18 Impact factor: 4.614