Assessment of Nutritional Knowledge, Eating Habits, and Body Mass Index Among Healthcare Workers in Selected Polyclinics in Benghazi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37376/sjuob.v39i1.7855Keywords:
Nutrition knowledge level., Libya,, Healthcare workers,, Eating habits,, Body Mass Index,Abstract
Nutrition knowledge plays an important role in improving the eating habits of individuals, families and communities. Consequently, poor nutritional knowledge especially among healthcare workers affects their ability to provide accurate and comprehensive nutritional advice to patients. This study is aimed to assess the level of nutritional knowledge and eating habits, and to determine the body mass index among healthcare workers in Benghazi, Libya. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, with 177 participants from four randomly selected polyclinics between March and May 2025. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaire. Additionally, anthropometric measurements were recorded to calculate the body mass index. Data were entered and analyzed by SPSS. Chi-square (χ2) test was used to assess any significant associations, if p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The study revealed a high nutritional knowledge score (73.4%) among respondents. However, knowledge regarding the daily serving sizes of major food groups was quite low. There was no any significant association between nutritional knowledge score and all socio-demographic variables. Furthermore, the majority of the participants (75.7%) scored poorly on eating habits characterized by frequent consumption of fast-foods, sugary beverages, alongside a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. The study revealed a significant association between occupation and eating habits(p=0.036). Implementing in-service continuous nutrition education programs and training is essential to improve knowledge and translate it into dietary practices that improve nutritional status.
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