Food Literacy, Sustainable Eating Behaviors, and Healthy Eating Index in University Students

Food Literacy, Sustainable Eating Behaviors, and Healthy Eating Index in University StudentsABSTRACTObjective: This study aims to examine the relationships between food literacy, sustainable and healthy eating behaviors, and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores among university students. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 301 volunteer university students using a structured questionnaire which included questions about general information, a sustainable and healthy eating behaviors scale (SHEB), a food literacy scale (FOODLIT), and a 24-hour recall. HEI (2015) scores were calculated for all participants using 24-hour data. The statistical analysis of the data was performed using the JASP and SPSS (version 26.0) software. Results: The mean SHEB, FOODLIT, and HEI scores of the participants were 2.93±0.82, 33.13±12.55, and 41.22±11.44, respectively. A positive and significant relationship was found between FOODLIT and SHEB scores (r=0.418; p