Factors of Nutritional Knowledge, Attitude toward Food and Food Consumption Behaviors Affecting Nutritional Status among Personnel in Ministry of Public Health

Abstract

This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to evaluate knowledge on nutrition, food attitude and food consumption behaviors; and to assess nutritional status as well as to analyze factors affecting nutritional status of personnel in Ministry of Public Health. Sampling was done by stratified random sampling technique. Data of 364 personnel were collected using a food attitude questionnaire and food consumption behavior questionnaire. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR). The data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and multiple regression analysis. The study indicated that (1) most of the samples nutritional knowledge and food attitude were at the moderate levels while food consumption behaviors were at the high level; (2) most of them had BMI and WHR at the normal levels of 80.5% and 78.8%, respectively; and (3) from multiple regression analysis, food consumption behaviors correlated significantly with nutritional status at the 0.01 significance level. Food consumption behaviors had predictive BMI and WHR power of 29.1% and 8.5%,respectively. Additionally, nutritional knowledge and food consumption behaviors were significantly correlatedwith WHR at the 0.01 level with predictive power 10.2%. This study indicated the need to promote nutritional knowledge and proper food consumption behavior in order to prevent overweight and obesity.