Abstract

Aims: Chronic diseases resulting from unhealthy nutrition and lifestyle, causes more than 70 percent of deaths in developed and developing countries. This study aims to assess the Knowledge, beliefs and behaviors of medical students in the military environment on the healthy dietary pattern based on health belief model (HBM). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the number were 242 students from three schools with age range from 18 to 32 years of military universities, which were selected by stratified random sampling. The questionnaire including the HBM constructs (Self efficacy, perceived benefits, perceived barriers and perceived threat), demographic variables, knowledge and behavior questions were used. Results: The mean for students' Knowledge in three levels of in poor, moderate and good were determined respectively, 6.6 percent, 58.7 percent and 34.7 percent, the HBM constructs were 0.8 and 31 and 68.2 percent and performance level were14, 5.78 and 7.4 respectively. Conclusion: Knowledge and practice in the study population was not desirable and education intervention by proper consideration of the factors affecting the pattern of food consumption practice is necessary.