No abstract

Aim: Universities provide food service to not only students, but also to their employees from all levels. However, the limited literature persists in terms of evaluating the campus food environment by different kinds of stakeholders. Therefore, this study aims to understand and conceptualize the experiences and perceptions of students and university staff towards campus food environment. Subjects and Methods: We conducted six focus groups among sixty-four people that belong to a private university in Ankara with the following roles; (i) Turkish and international students, (ii) Academic staff, (iii) Administrative staff, and (iv) Support staff. Thematic analyses were conducted by NVivo software and triangulation is done by evaluating a monthly lunch menu of the cafeteria with Nutrient Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF 9.3) nutrient profiling model. Results: Qualitative analyses revealed that participants were aware of the nutritional importance of food services and consequences of consuming meals, foods, and beverages with low nutritional value. Nutritional value of the food was among the most important drivers of food selection and participants demanded menus to be planned by a dietitian. The seven overarching themes that were determined within the qualitative analysis were; (i) administrative process, (ii) nutritional value, (iii) variety, (iv) taste-flavor, (v) hygiene and food safety, (vi) intercultural inclusiveness, and (vii) price. NRF 9.3 scores of the campus lunch menu alternatives were low (Ranged from 0.09 to 3.19) in a way that triangulated the qualitative findings. Conclusion: This study shows that nutritional value and variety of the food and beverage services is a main driving factor for food selection and participants’ experiences even more than price and taste of the food. The results highlight the importance of serving healthy menus to all the stakeholders of a university, which could best be achieved by employing dietitians.

Sonuç: Çalışmaya göre; öğrencilerin meslektaşlarına yönelik görüşlerinin ve mesleki beklenti düzeylerinin yüksek/iyi olduğu belirlendi. Öğrencilerin meslektaşları hakkında görüşleri iyi, mesleki beklenti düzeyleri yüksek olsa da aksini belirttikleri ifadeler olduğu da unutulmamalıdır.

Aim: Vegan and vegetarian diets are in an increasing trend worldwide in recent years. Vegan/vegetarian diets, which are known to have positive effects on health, may result in nutrient deficiencies if they are not balanced. It is important to determine the nutritional status of vegan and vegetarian individuals, whose number is increasing in Turkey, in order to build national recommendations. This study was conducted as a pilot study to determine the energy and nutrient intake of vegan/vegetarian individuals living in Turkey. Subjects and Method: A total of 285 volunteered vegan/vegetarian individuals aged 19-64 years participated in the study. The general information and vegan/vegetarian status of the participants were questioned with an online survey. After answering the survey, 38 volunteered participants kept a consecutive three-day “24-h food record” and shared it with the researchers. The energy and nutrient intakes of the individuals and the rates of meeting their requirements were calculated. Chi-square test of independence was used to compare individuals’ vegan/vegetarian status by gender and general knowledge by vegan/vegetarian status; independent sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for age, energy and nutrient comparisons between groups. Results: The majority of the participants were female (79.3%), holding at least a bachelor’s degree (89.5%), and had a normal BMI value (72.6%). Rate of vegan and vegetarian participants that were not able to meet their energy and nutrient requirements were as follows respectively: 76.5%, 85.7% for energy (kcal); 52.9%, 95.2% for carbohydrate (%); 100%, 52.4% for vitamin B12; 64.7% 61.9% for folate; 94.1%, 76.2% for calcium; 64.7%, 76.2% for iron; and 88.2%, 71.4% for zinc. Conclusion: It has been observed that vegan and vegetarian individuals living in Turkey are at risk of several nutrient deficiencies. Considering the increasing trend of vegan and vegetarian diets, it is necessary to determine the nutritional status of individuals on a large scale and to raise awareness of individuals. It is important that the recommendations specific to vegan/vegetarian individuals in national nutrition guidelines are implemented by vegan/vegetarian individuals, health professionals and food service providers.