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

Objective: This study aims to examine the relationships among 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 dietary 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<0.05), and FOODLIT scores were found to explain 17.5% of the variance in SHEB scores (R2=0.175). In dimension analyses, environmentally safe and selection-planning skills stood out as variables associated with HEI scores, while no significant relationship was found between HEI scores and other variables. Conclusion: In conclusion, it is considered that food literacy is associated with sustainable eating behaviors, but this relationship may not directly reflect diet quality.