Associations of balanced nutrition knowledge and food choice motives with eating behavior among public health students at Universitas Cenderawasih

Background: Nutrition knowledge may not translate into healthy eating. Food choice motives and appetitive traits may contribute to this gap.Objective: To examine associations of balanced nutrition knowledge and food choice motives with eating behavior and describe appetitive traits among public health students at Universitas Cenderawasih.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 303 students selected by stratified random sampling. The Food Choice Questionnaire, Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and nutrition knowledge and eating behavior questionnaires were administered. Associations were assessed using chi-square tests and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).Results: Overall, 53.5% of students had poor eating behavior. Prominent food choice motives were health (69.6%), natural content (71.9%), and weight control (72.3%). Enjoyment of food was high in 67.0%. Nutrition knowledge was not significantly associated with eating behavior (p = 0.393; OR = 1.23; 95% CI: 0.77–1.96). Food choice motives were associated with eating behavior (p = 0.003); students classified as having low food choice motives had greater odds of poor eating behavior (OR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.27–3.22).Conclusion: Food choice motives, but not nutrition knowledge, were associated with eating behavior. Campus nutrition programs may benefit from addressing food choice motivations alongside nutrition education.