Üniversite Öğrencilerinde Menü Etiketi Algısının Besin Seçimi ve Obezite Üzerine Etkisi

Abstract

Menu labels based on informing consumers to ensure healthy food choices are becoming widespread in many countries and are used as a tool for the fight against obesity and non-communicable diseases related to nutrition through its use as a policy. In this study, it is aimed to analyze the effects of college students' perceptions and attitudes towards menu labels on food choice and obesity. In this study, which was conducted with the participation of 350 students studying at a foundation university, a six-part questionnaire was administered to participants, including questions about their socio-demographic characteristics, menu label awareness and attitude, factors affecting nutrient choice, physical activity and food consumption records and anthropometric measurements. Among individuals with BMI 25 kg / m2, the rate of encountering the menu label was found to be 25.2% (p> 0.05). As the important information to be included in the menu label were as follows; energy, carbohydrate, protein, total fat and sugar content, and the information related to the contents of total fat (75.7%), protein (75.4%), sugar (73.3%), trans fat (69.1%), energy (66.0%) and carbohydrate (63.4%) was found to change the purchasing behavior of individuals. While the menus (26.9%), which were expressed by physical activity corresponding to the energy value of the food, and the standard menus (21.4%) with information on energy and nutrients were chosen by the participants as the most understandable menu label presentations, it was observed that understandable menu label preferences differ according to gender (p<0.05). Sensory attraction, familiarity, health, convenience, natural content, price, mood, ethical concern and weight control were found to be the most influential factors on nutrient selection, respectively. It was found that encountering with the menu label did not affect individuals' energy and nutrient intake. As a result, it is recommended that menu labels, which are becoming increasingly important in the fight against obesity, should be used more widely in our country.