Objective: This descriptive study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge of nursing students about probiotic products and status of probiotic nutrient consumption.

Materials and Methods: The population of the study consisted of students (n=520) in the nursing department of a university between November 1 and December 1, 2017. Students who accepted to participate in the study and who fully completed the data collection forms (n=238) were included in the study. Research data were collected by use of two forms: Personal Information Form and Evaluation Form for Students’ Knowledge Levels Regarding Probiotics and Probiotic Food Consumption. In the evaluation of the research data, the number-percentage distribution and the calculated mean results were evaluated at the significance level of p<0.05 and in the 95% confidence interval.

Results: It was found that 56.3% of the students do not consume probiotic foods and their mean score of knowledge and information about probiotics is 8.25±5.64. Among those who do not consume probiotic nutrients, the highest reason for not consuming is 55.2% percent of being unaware of this food. 46.2% of the students who consume probiotic foods stated that they consumed these foods in-between-meals, 52.9% consume them to solve their health problems, 68.3% benefit from these products and 70.2% recommend these foods to those around them. Of the students who stated that they benefit from probiotic products, 53.5% maintained that probiotic products are beneficial to solve digestive system problems.

Conclusion: The fact that students do not have enough information about probiotics restricts their probiotic food consumption. In order to emphasize the importance of healthy and balanced nutrition as well as the treatment and protective effects of probiotics, it is thought that awareness should be raised by organizing trainings and seminars for nurses and nursing students.