Determination of Nutrition Knowledge Levels of Teachers Working in Edirne Center

Abstract

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the nutritional knowledge levels of teachers working in Edirne Center. Methods: A total of 389 teachers, 272 female (69.9%) and 117 male (30.1%) volunteers working at schools affiliated to the Republic of Turkish Ministry of National Education in Edirne Center and agreeing to participate in the study. The research data were collected by face-to-face interview method using a questionnaire form. The data of the research were evaluated using the SPSS 19.0 package program. Findings: The average age of teachers participating in the study was 42.67 +/- 8.76 years. Teachers' nutritional knowledge score average was 4.61 +/- 1.36. There was no significant relationship between teachers' age, gender, marital status, education, branch of study and body mass index (BMI) and their nutritional knowledge scores (p> 0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship between teachers' access to nutritional information source, food label reading knowledge, emphasizing healthy nutrition in their lessons giving nutritional advice to their students and nutritional behavior affects students' behavior (p> 0.05). There was a negative relationship between age and nutritional knowledge score, and it was significant at 0.09 level ( r = -0.093. p = 0.067). The relationship between the nutritional knowledge score and body mass index (BMI) was not found to be significant (p> 0.05). Result: In the study, the nutritional knowledge levels of teachers did not reach the expected goals for each teacher. The implementation of nutrition education programs and the frequent evaluation of the results of teachers, who shape the future and are role models for students, will lead future generations to gain healthy eating habits.