Microbiota awareness and fermented food consumption among university students: evidence of a knowledge-behavior gap

Fermented foods are traditional functional foods that may beneficially influence gut microbiota composition and contribute to overall health. However, it remains unclear whether microbiota-related awareness is associated with regular consumption of fermented foods. This study aimed to examine the association between microbiota awareness and fermented food consumption among university students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among students enrolled in sports science programmes. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Microbiota Awareness Scale, and the Fermented Food Consumption Index. Overall microbiota awareness levels were relatively high, particularly in domains related to general microbiota knowledge and probiotic-prebiotic concepts. Despite this, fermented food consumption was generally low among participants. A weak but statistically significant negative correlation was observed between total microbiota awareness scores and fermented food consumption (Spearman's r = - 0.28, p < 0.01). In contrast, strong positive correlations were found between microbiota awareness and both general microbiota knowledge (r = 0.85, p < 0.001) and probiotic-prebiotic knowledge (r = 0.82, p < 0.001). Students reporting gastrointestinal complaints had significantly higher awareness scores than those without such symptoms (p < 0.05). These findings indicate a discrepancy between microbiota-related knowledge and actual dietary behaviour, consistent with the intention-action gap described in behavioural nutrition literature.