Factors affecting the intake of fermented milk products among university students: a cross-sectional study from Poland and Turkey

ABSTRACT Introduction: The aim of the study is to present fermented milk products intake and related factors by Turkish and Polish students of dietetics. Material and Methods: Dietetics students of both Medical University of Silesia in Katowice (SUM), Poland, and Izmir Katip Celebi University in Izmir (IKCU), Turkey, were kindly requested to fill up an on-line questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 23 questions about personal data, consumer preferences, substantive knowledge and assessment of factors conditioning the purchase of fermented milk products. Statistical significance between the groups were checked with the Mann-Whitney U test, T test and Chi-squared &#967;2 test. A statistically significant difference met the p<0.05 condition. Results: There were 162 Polish and 181 Turkish respondents taking part in the research. The most common fermented milk product among both the SUM and IKCU students was plain yoghurt. Its intake was declared by over 95% of the respondents in both groups. In the group of the Polish students, fermented milk products are consumed mainly for breakfast (61.11%) and as a snack between meals (58.02%). Turkish students significantly more frequently prefer to eat them for dinner (50.28%) and lunch (48%). Only 21.06% of the Polish students and 29.3% of the Turkish students consume fermented milk products every day. Products with no colour additives and preservatives are selected by 67.9% of the SUM students, while IKCU students more often choose products with probiotics and prebiotics (43.10%) as well as products with reduced fat content (40.3%). Quality, composition of products, manufacturer, packaging, advertisement were determined the significant factors that preconditioning the selection of fermented milk products. Conclusions: Cultural differences concerning fermented milk products are reflected in eating habits and consumer preferences. Plain yoghurt is a frequently chosen product by both the SUM and IKCU students. There were differences between the respondents in terms of times of the day, amount and types of consumed fermented milk products. Moreover, factors preconditioning their selection vary between the two groups.