Assessment of sustainable nutrition practices among individuals attending the gym

Abstract

Sustainable diets refer to diets with low environmental impacts and positive impacts on food security and health. Considering resource depletion and environmental pollution, it is thought that foods with low environmental impact should be chosen instead of foods with high environmental impact. However, given the high protein consumption of individuals who go to the gym, it is thought that they pose a risk for a sustainable future. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the behaviors of gym-going individuals towards sustainable nutrition. A total of 203 individuals with a mean age of 28.57±9.97 years were included in this cross-sectional study. A questionnaire containing demographic information was prepared by the researchers. In addition, the Sustainable Nutrition Behavior Scale was administered to the participants. An overwhelming majority of the participants, specifically 97.5%, reported consuming meat, chicken, or fish at least once or twice a week. The mean total score of the sustainable dietary behavior scale was 97.65±21.59. There was no significant difference between the body mass index values of the participants and the total score of the sustainable nutrition behavior scale (p>0.05). The total score of the behavior scale for sustainable nutrition was lower in participants with active sports duration of less than 5 years, single marital status, and male participants (p<0.05). Studies on sustainable nutrition are mostly focused on the general population. However, it is important to reveal the sustainable nutrition knowledge levels of individuals practicing sports.

Keywords

• Dietary behavior
• environmental impact
• sports nutrition
• sustainable nutrition

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