Accommodation Status and Frequency-Based Healthy Food Pattern Scores among University Students: Associations with Nutrition Knowledge and Eating Behaviors

Purpose: This study evaluated nutrition knowledge, eating behaviors, meal skipping, and selected food consumption frequencies among university students according to accommodation status.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 444 university students in Istanbul between December 2025 and June 2026. Data were collected through an on-campus questionnaire. Nutrition knowledge was assessed using the Nutrition Knowledge Level Scale for Adults (YETBID), eating behaviors using the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), and selected food consumption patterns using a study-specific, frequency-based modified Healthy Food Pattern Score (mHFPS). Analyses included group comparisons, Spearman correlations, and multiple linear regression.Results: YETBID total scores and DEBQ subscale scores did not differ significantly across accommodation groups. The mHFPS differed by accommodation status (p=0.003), with higher scores among students living in the family home than those in dormitories. Main meal-skipping frequency did not differ across groups (p=0.580), but the most frequently skipped meal among students identifying a specific meal varied by accommodation (p=0.016). Nutrition knowledge showed a weak positive correlation with mHFPS (ρ=0.165, p