Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
OPUS Uluslararası Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, cilt.18, sa.40, ss.2085-2115, 2021 (Hakemli Dergi)
A preventive and protective health framework for individuals is likely
to be established through effective health communication. Since the progress of
scientific medicine, the necessity of communication with patients has been
realized. The connection between the physician and the patient has been
established. While the doctors are
tending to explain more details in everyday language, the patients are more
encouraged to ask questions about their health conditions.
By regarding healthy eating and healthy life understanding, rapid
changing conditions today based on the concept and understanding of health have
gained considerable importance. It is obvious that in literature only the
persons who are ready to improve themselves are getting successful on a healthy diet
programs
Whether the demographic structure of the people has an impact on self-actualization
and whether it is important in terms of
persuading people to embrace a healthy diet are the two basic variables to be
conducted in this research. The research design is on the quantitative method.
The survey data is applied to 100 residents in İstanbul Kadıköy district
Fenerbahçe neighbourhood and Maltepe district Yali neighbourhood. Frequency
analysis is taken, and the results are entered into the 23.00 package program. In
the demographic structure of the participants, it is seen that most of them
(64%) are university graduates. In total, 72% of the participants are married. As
a result of the descriptive analysis obtained in the field, the highest scores
that could be obtained were 171 and 198, while the scores of the participants
were 135.25 and 182.09. In this sense, the examined impact coefficients are
generally at an upper level with 0.54 and 0.41 points. This situation shows
that both dietary self-actualization and embracing a healthy diet persuasion of
the study group are at a high level. The study has shown that educational
status is an important variable in a healthy diet understanding. By
self-efficacy scale means, it is observed that secondary school graduates are
higher than university graduates with 89 points and high school graduates with
64.50 points, with 38.85 points. In the persuasion scale, participants with a
master's / doctorate degree are at the top of the scale with 76.50 points. It
seems that people with a high level of education are easier to be convinced about
a healthy diet. Age variability is an important factor in self-efficacy beliefs
and in persuading people to a healthy lifestyle. In
this case, it is seen that the 40-50 age group, called the young middle age,
has more difficulty in persuasion. This shows that the young generation tries
the new generation cuisine, while the 40-50 age group insists on staying with
more traditional tastes and unhealthy habits. Considering the differences
between the districts, it is seen that the average rank of those living in
Kadıköy / Fenerbahçe is lower than those living in Maltepe / Yali in terms of
persuasion to diet and dietary self-efficacy. However, when the effect sizes
are examined, it is found as 0.31 and 0.46. Accordingly, the effect is moderate
on the dietary self-efficacy scale and high on the persuasion scale. The fact
that a more collectivist family profile resides in Maltepe district and individualistic
culture is more widespread in Kadıköy / Fenerbahçe is reflected in the results.
In the study, it is observed that the occupational groups are variable, and
housewives take a more active role in this issue. The housewife group seems to
be in the front phase with 87.94 points on the diet self-efficacy scale and
65.12 points on the persuasion scale. In the research, it is found out that
they can concentrate on a healthy lifestyle by using the advantage of being at
home. In the indicators of self-efficacy and persuasion belief, the advantage
of marital status is understood with the excess. Scores are 20 to 72 on both
scales. Since the married group has a more regular life, they approach healthy
nutrition and diet issues more comfortably than the single ones.
In this case, healthy dietary self-efficacy beliefs and dietary
persuasion are unsurprisingly high. As a result, it is realized that education
level, age, district of residence, socio-cultural conditions, profession, and
marital status differ significantly in terms of self-efficacy and persuasion. Healthy
living is an important element in creating and maintaining a stable social
life. It is in an important position for the development of societies,
nutrition and self-care, the need for love, emotional development, and
psychological development. Nutrition and care are the services that family
members should receive from birth, within the framework of correct health
communication with at least one of the healthcare professionals; dieticians, family
physicians, pediatricians, or endocrinologists. A preventive and protective
health framework can be drawn for individuals who are
encouraged to maintain a healthy and balanced diet with correct guidance. That preventive
health care is supported before diseases occur will be ensured. This situation
will contribute not only to the individual but also to the nation socioeconomically.
In this context, it is also recommended to appoint a dietician to family physicians’
polyclinics of each neighborhood. Generalizing the study to other districts of
Istanbul or other provinces other than Istanbul and working on a wider sample
will add a more visionary perspective in terms of preventive health.