Rational nutrition as a factor of healthy lifestyle and prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases

Aim: The aim is to conduct medical and sociological research on public awareness of the impact of rational nutrition on promoting human health and preventing chronic non-communicable diseases.

Materials and Methods: The research was conducted in 2022-2024 and involved 214 respondents of different ages and genders who were patients of outpatient clinics in Zhytomyr (Ukraine). Research methods included theoretical analysis of literary sources, medical and sociological (questionnaire), mathematical and statistical, system analysis, and logical generalization.

Results: It has been found that less than a third of the surveyed population (31.0 %) is in good health; 26.0 % report chronic diseases of the cardiovascular, excretory, hepatobiliary, and endocrine systems; 12.1 % of the respondents each suffer from diabetes and obesity. Despite this, only 18.0 % of the respondents adhere to healthy eating habits, and more than half abuse junk food and violate their diet. It has also been found that 79.0 % of the respondents do not have sufficient information about healthy eating; 93.0 % expressed a desire to improve their knowledge of the basics of healthy eating.

Conclusions: It has been found that rational nutrition is the most important factor in the body's vital activity, which ensures human health and working capacity, the ability to withstand adverse environmental influences, and determines the quality and duration of life. The article substantiates a set of measures for organizing public health professionals' outreach and awareness-raising activities to promote public health and prevent chronic non-communicable diseases through dietary nutrition.