Association Between Food and Nutrition Literacy and Nutritional Status: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Food and nutrition literacy constitutes an essential component of health literacy, encompassing an individual's capacity to access, interpret, evaluate, and apply information pertaining to food and nutrition. Enhanced literacy levels are hypothesized to influence dietary behaviors, and subsequently, to affect an individual's nutritional status.

Aims: This systematic review aims to examine the association between food and nutrition literacy and nutritional status across diverse populations.

Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed across four electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Articles eligible for inclusion were those published within the previous ten years, written in either English or Indonesian, employing quantitative research designs, and available in full text.

Results: An initial search yielded 252 articles, of which 27 met the predefined inclusion criteria following a rigorous screening process and were subsequently included in the final analysis. The reviewed studies demonstrated that food and nutrition literacy could be assessed through a variety of validated instruments and that its relationship with nutritional status was reported across different population groups, health conditions, and age categories.

Conclusions: The association between food and nutrition literacy and nutritional status appears to be modulated by several intervening variables including age, health status, and socio-cultural factors. While numerous studies have reported a positive correlation between higher literacy levels and improved nutritional outcomes, others have observed no significant association. Furthermore, literacy-based educational interventions have demonstrated efficacy in mitigating risks associated with anemia, stunting, and obesity.

Keywords: Food Literacy; Nutrition Literacy; Nutritional Status.