Proper nutrition is a key factor in preventing chronic non-communicable diseases and improving the quality of life. However, the level of nutrition awareness among the general population remains low, and targeted measures are needed to improve eating behavior.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the general population’s awareness of proper nutrition and identify factors that affect it.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A one-stage sociological study was conducted using a validated questionnaire consisting of 46 questions and 7 units, including a general characteristics of the respondents (13 questions), adherence to proper nutrition (9 questions), dietary nutrition (4 questions), regimen (3 questions), diet (6 questions), traditions (7 questions), and food culture (4 questions). The software packages Statistica version 10.0 for Windows and R-Studio were used for the statistical analysis of the study results.

RESULTS

The study included respondents from 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation (a total of 2.731 people). The results showed that 56% of respondents had not received information on proper nutrition recently. The main sources of information about proper nutrition were blogs (posts) of doctors (nutritionists/dietitians) (36%), Rutube channels (36%), TV shows (33%), as well as friends and relatives (32%). Only 52% of respondents taught their children the basics of healthy eating, mainly through conversations (86%). A third (30.8%) of the respondents reported being taught the basics of proper nutrition as a child. The presence of chronic diseases, obesity, and a low level of education was associated with a lower level of awareness of persons in nutrition issues.

CONCLUSION

The results of the study indicate a low level of public awareness of proper nutrition. To improve this situation, the following measures are proposed: information campaigns involving opinion leaders, the introduction of nutrition education programs in schools, and food labelling.