Sustainability (Switzerland), cilt.15, sa.18, 2023 (SCI-Expanded)
The primary objective of this study was to explore the relationship between food and nutrition literacy and sustainable, healthy eating behaviors among young adults. This cross-sectional study took place in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey, involving 500 participants (265 females, 235 males) whose average age was 22.6 ± 3.97 years. A questionnaire was administered through face-to-face interviews, covering three sections: (1) general information, (2) the food and nutrition literacy instrument (FNLI), and (3) the sustainable and healthy eating behaviors scale (SHEBS). The females exhibited a higher FNLI score (94.8 ± 10.9) compared with the males (89.9 ± 13.1), with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences were observed in the mean SHEBS scores for the FNLI behavior sub-dimension among all three categories: inadequate (106.6 ± 32.7), limited (125.5 ± 23.6), and excellent (147.5 ± 28.8) (p < 0.05). The significant correlations of the FNLI score with various factors, including seasonal foods (0.163-unit increase per unit), avoidance of food waste (0.312-unit increase per unit), reduction in meat consumption (0.750-unit increase per unit), and education status (1.399-unit increase per unit) (p < 0.001) was revealed in the study. Based on the findings from this study, we can plan to promote sustainable resource utilization by developing educational materials in the field of nutrition.