Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of nutritional weight management knowledge among individuals applying to a private nutrition and diet counseling center for weight management. Materials and Methods: Data were collected between January and May 2025 using voluntary face-to-face survey interviews. The sample size was determined to be at least 176 individuals based on a G*Power analysis for two independent groups with a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error; a total of 180 individuals were included in the study, comprising 90 new and 90 established patients. The socio-demographic characteristics of the participants were given in the first part, and the second part included the Weight Management Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (WMNKQ). Results: The mean BMI was 29.08±11.59 kg/m², and the WMNKQ score was 25.31±5.21. The results revealed a significant difference in clinical variables, including diet follow-up duration (p=0.001), presence of diagnosed disease (p=0.001), and disease-specific diet application status (p=0.025). Individuals with postgraduate education had statistically significantly higher WMNKQ scores than those with a high school or associate degree (p 0.05). Positive and statistically significant relationships were found between WMNKQ scores and BMI (r=0.232, p=0.002) and duration of diet continuation (r=0.268, p=0.011). Conclusion: The level of knowledge regarding weight management is closely related to individuals' clinical characteristics, the duration of nutritional follow-up, and education level. These findings highlight the need to examine different clinical groups and educational interventions and may contribute to the development of more effective weight management programs.
Palamutoğlu et al. (Sat,) studied this question.