E-healthy diet literacy is associated with psychological well-being and diet-related risk behaviors among university students in Turkiye: a cross-sectional study

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Tuncer E., Duman E., Bodur G. S., Keser A.

SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, cilt.16, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 16 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1038/s41598-026-68297-w
  • Dergi Adı: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts Core, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Zoological Record, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
  • Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

E-healthy diet literacy is the ability to find, understand, appraise, and apply online healthy-eating information. We examined its associations with psychological well-being and diet-related risk behaviors in a cross-sectional convenience sample of 331 undergraduates aged 18-26 years in Ankara, T & uuml;rkiye; 84.9% were female. Participants completed the e-Healthy Diet Literacy Questionnaire (e-HDLQ), World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and Eating Habits Index (EHI). Associations were modeled using multivariable linear regression and an exploratory covariate-adjusted path analysis with 5,000 bootstrap resamples. After multivariable adjustment, higher e-HDLQ scores were associated with higher WHO-5 scores (unstandardized B = 0.443; standardized beta = 0.179; 95% confidence interval [CI] for B, 0.174 to 0.713; p = 0.001) and, in a model additionally including WHO-5, with lower EHI scores (B = - 0.123; beta = -0.281; 95% CI for B, - 0.171 to - 0.075; p < 0.001). A one-standard-deviation higher e-HDLQ score was associated with a WHO-5 score 3.38 percentage points higher and an EHI score 0.94 points lower. The bias-corrected 95% CI for the indirect component through WHO-5 included zero. Associations were modest; the EHI estimate warrants cautious interpretation because internal consistency was low (Cronbach's alpha = 0.56). Concurrent measurement does not establish temporal ordering or causality.