Microbiota awareness and fermented food consumption among university students: evidence of a knowledge-behavior gap

Abstract Fermented foods are traditional functional foods that may beneficially influence gut microbiota composition and contribute to overall health. However, it remains unclear whether microbiota-related awareness is associated with regular consumption of fermented foods. This study aimed to examine the association between microbiota awareness and fermented food consumption among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among students enrolled in sports science programmes. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Microbiota Awareness Scale, and the Fermented Food Consumption Index. Overall microbiota awareness levels were relatively high, particularly in domains related to general microbiota knowledge and probiotic–prebiotic concepts. Despite this, fermented food consumption was generally low among participants. A weak but statistically significant negative correlation was observed between total microbiota awareness scores and fermented food consumption (Spearman’s r = − 0.28, p < 0.01). In contrast, strong positive correlations were found between microbiota awareness and both general microbiota knowledge (r = 0.85, p < 0.001) and probiotic–prebiotic knowledge (r = 0.82, p < 0.001). Students reporting gastrointestinal complaints had significantly higher awareness scores than those without such symptoms ( p < 0.05). These findings indicate a discrepancy between microbiota-related knowledge and actual dietary behaviour, consistent with the intention–action gap described in behavioural nutrition literature.