The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping Review

This study aimed to provide an overview of published studies that assess the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake among university students. A scoping review was undertaken and articles assessing the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake among university...

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Main Authors: Michelle O’Leary, Elaine Mooney, Amanda McCloat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Dietetics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0311/4/2/16
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author Michelle O’Leary
Elaine Mooney
Amanda McCloat
author_facet Michelle O’Leary
Elaine Mooney
Amanda McCloat
author_sort Michelle O’Leary
collection DOAJ
description This study aimed to provide an overview of published studies that assess the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake among university students. A scoping review was undertaken and articles assessing the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake among university students were identified. EMBASE, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched for peer-reviewed articles reporting primary research. The initial search generated 805 potentially relevant articles. After reviewing titles and abstracts and applying the exclusion criteria, 22 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion. Nutrition knowledge was measured in all studies and information was predominantly collected using adapted General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaires (GNKQs). Dietary intake measurement methods varied across the studies, with the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) being commonly used. Findings identified that in most studies a positive relationship was found between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. The ability to draw strong conclusions about the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake in university students is limited by the heterogeneity of the study design, the subpopulations considered, and the tools used. Notwithstanding this, findings indicate that the majority of studies reported a positive relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. Future studies should consider the use of validated assessment tools for both nutrition knowledge and dietary intake and the inclusion of more male student participants.
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spelling doaj-art-94b16b7253a44f0ca0e7c007be91749f2025-08-20T03:27:31ZengMDPI AGDietetics2674-03112025-04-01421610.3390/dietetics4020016The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping ReviewMichelle O’Leary0Elaine Mooney1Amanda McCloat2School of Education, University of Galway, University Road, H91TK33 Galway, IrelandNational Centre of Excellence for Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, F91C643 Sligo, IrelandNational Centre of Excellence for Home Economics, ATU St Angelas, F91C643 Sligo, IrelandThis study aimed to provide an overview of published studies that assess the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake among university students. A scoping review was undertaken and articles assessing the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake among university students were identified. EMBASE, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched for peer-reviewed articles reporting primary research. The initial search generated 805 potentially relevant articles. After reviewing titles and abstracts and applying the exclusion criteria, 22 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion. Nutrition knowledge was measured in all studies and information was predominantly collected using adapted General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaires (GNKQs). Dietary intake measurement methods varied across the studies, with the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) being commonly used. Findings identified that in most studies a positive relationship was found between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. The ability to draw strong conclusions about the relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake in university students is limited by the heterogeneity of the study design, the subpopulations considered, and the tools used. Notwithstanding this, findings indicate that the majority of studies reported a positive relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake. Future studies should consider the use of validated assessment tools for both nutrition knowledge and dietary intake and the inclusion of more male student participants.https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0311/4/2/16knowledgedietuniversitiesstudentseatingreview
spellingShingle Michelle O’Leary
Elaine Mooney
Amanda McCloat
The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping Review
Dietetics
knowledge
diet
universities
students
eating
review
title The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping Review
title_full The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping Review
title_fullStr The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping Review
title_full_unstemmed The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping Review
title_short The Relationship Between Nutrition Knowledge and Dietary Intake of University Students: A Scoping Review
title_sort relationship between nutrition knowledge and dietary intake of university students a scoping review
topic knowledge
diet
universities
students
eating
review
url https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0311/4/2/16
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