Abstract

Background and Aim: Nutrition knowledge has a direct impact on food consumption and dietary habits. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the predictors of nutrition knowledge on dietary behaviours in one of the military hospitals in Mashhad. Methods: In this analytic cross- sectional study, medical staff were examined in terms of nutrition knowledge, dietary behaviours and food consumption in 2016. The used tools included demographic questionnaire, Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for Adults NKQA((46 items), Dietary Habits and Nutritional Knowledge questionnaire DHNK((47 items) and Food Frequency Questionnaire)FFQ) (54 items). Multiple regression model was used to investigate the relationship between subscales of NKQA, FFQ, DHNK with the medical staff’s food consumption. Results: This study was conducted on 300 medical staff. The mean age of the participants was 30.7±8.5 years old and the mean BMI was 23.74±3.7. By using Spearman correlation coefficient, there was only a significant relationship between dietary habits and the body mass index. Male and female medical staff had good scores in nutrition knowledge and dietary habits subscales, but had poor scores in familiarity with food pyramid and nutrition content of food and had fair scores in nutrition benefits of foods. Nutrition knowledge p=0.0001) and nutrition benefits of food (p=0.025) subscales scores were significantly higher in the female group. By using the multiple regression model, 14 percent of food consumption variations in the female group are justified by the nutrition benefits of food and nutrition knowledge. In the male group, there is no significant relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary habits subscales and consumption of food groups. Conclusion: Regarding significant relationship between the two subscales, nutrition benefits of food and nutrition knowledge, and the consumption of food groups in the female group, the higher scores in these subscales in the female group reveals this fact that women are more likely to apply nutrition knowledge in their diets and pay more attention to their health.