Correlates of diet quality among sedentary white-collar workers in Türkiye: associations with physical activity and lifestyle-related factors.

Sedentary work environments may contribute to unhealthy dietary behaviors and increase the risk of non-communicable diseases among white-collar employees.This cross-sectional study examined the diet quality and its associations with physical activity while exploratorily examining health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among 208 white-collar workers in Istanbul.Data were collected using an online survey including self-reported anthropometric measures, a three-day dietary record analyzed with the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015), the SF-36 questionnaire, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ).Mean daily energy, protein, and fiber intakes were below recommended levels, and 65% of participants had poor diet quality (HEI < 51). Higher HEI-2015 scores were correlated with greater fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and iron intake. In multiple regression analysis, older age (β = 0.19, p = 0.007) and high physical activity level (β = 0.17, p = 0.015) were significantly associated with higher HEI-2015 scores, however, the model explained a limited proportion of variance (Adjusted R² = 0.041).Age and physical activity were modestly associated with diet quality, highlighting the potential relevance of workplace health promotion strategies in sedentary occupational settings.