Assessing the relationship between nutrition literacy and eating behaviors among nursing students: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Eating behavior is an essential aspect of life that can have long-term effects on health outcomes. Nutrition literacy is crucial for better health and well-being. It empowers individuals to make informed decisions about their nutrition and take control of their eating habits.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the relationship between nutritional literacy and eating behavior among nursing students at the nursing faculties of Ardabil University of medical sciences.

METHODS

A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted in Ardabil province, northwest Iran. The study collected data through simple random sampling at nursing schools in Ardabil province, with 224 nursing students participating. The study collected data from a demographic information form, the nutritional literacy self-assessment questionnaire for students (NL-SF12), and the adult eating behavior questionnaire (AEBQ). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 14.0 software.

RESULTS

Based on the results, nutritional literacy explains 44% of the variance in eating behavior and shows significant explanatory power in two sub-scales of eating behavior. The adjusted R2 values for food approach and food avoidance scales were 0.33 and 0.27, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Given the significant relationship between nutritional literacy and eating behaviors among nursing students, nursing faculty managers and health policymakers should develop new public health strategies to increase nutritional literacy among nursing students.

The nutritional literacy of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and its association with treatment self-regulation and perceived social support

PURPOSE

Chemotherapy can lead to malnutrition and post-menopausal recurrence among breast cancer (BC) patients, who need to achieve nutritional literacy (NL) to cope. The objective of this study was to explore the NL level in Chinese BC patients receiving chemotherapy and its predictors including both internal motivation and the external environment.

METHODS

A total of 326 BC female patients from three hospitals were enrolled. Participants completed the Nutrition Literacy Measurement Scale for Chinese Adult (NLMS-CA), Chinese version from the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire (TSRQ-C), and the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) to assess NL, treatment self-regulation, and social support. Stepwise multivariate linear regression was used to identify the main factors of NL.

RESULTS

The total NL score was 151.31 ± 16.85, the "knowledge understanding" dimension had the lowest score. In the final regression model, patients with higher scores for "autonomous motivation" and "introjected regulation" on the TSRQ-C and "family support" and "other support" on the PSSS, higher educational levels and average monthly household incomes and endocrine therapy had higher NL levels (adjusted R2 = 66.7%, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The overall NL score among Chinese BC patients receiving chemotherapy was satisfactory, but the knowledge understanding score was low. Higher autonomous motivation, introjected regulation, family support and other support scores, higher educational and household income levels, and endocrine therapy were predictors of NL in female patients. Interventions should be designed according to the specific performances and predictors of NL in female patients.

Nutritional literacy levels of university academic and administrative staff: A cross-sectional study from Turkey

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional literacy levels of university academic and administrative staff.

METHODS

Data were collected with a questionnaire including sociodemographic variables, some eating habits, and the Nutritional Literacy Assessment Tool of Adults. A total of 413 individuals, 211 women (51.1%) and 202 men (48.9%), aged 23-64 (mean: 37.41 ± 10.04 years), were included in the study. The data obtained were evaluated with the SPSS 25.0 statistical package program.

RESULTS

It was found that the nutritional literacy level of 18.15% of the participants is at the borderline, 81.85 are sufficient. Women's nutrition literacy scores are significantly higher than men's (p = 0.034). A significant relationship was found between nutritional literacy, socioeconomic status, and some eating habits (p < 0.05). The average daily water consumption of individuals with sufficient nutritional literacy is statistically significantly higher than those with borderline nutritional literacy (p < 0.001). It was determined that individuals with borderline nutritional literacy skipped meals more frequently (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The present study suggests that nutritional literacy may be effective in developing healthy eating behaviors. The study's results can guide the determination of methods that will improve nutritional literacy and increase awareness in the future.

Association of health literacy and nutritional literacy with sun exposure in adults using structural equation modelling

Background

Inadequate health and nutritional literacy is a common problem among adults, associated with poor health outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between health literacy and nutritional literacy to sun exposure behaviour.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study on 261 adults (18–65 years) in Iran. Data was collected on knowledge, motivation, health literacy, nutritional literacy, and sun exposure behaviour using an interview-assisted questionnaire. Using the information–motivation–behavioural skills model and structural equation modeling, we tested whether health and nutritional literacy were associated with the relationships between knowledge of vitamin D, attitudes toward sun exposure, and sun exposure behaviour. Different models using structural equation modeling were performed to analyze the data.

Results

The finding showed that health literacy (β = 0.29, p < 0.001) and nutritional literacy (β = 0.14, p = 0.02) was directly associated with sunlight exposure. Indirect relationships also existed between knowledge and sunlight exposure through health literacy (β = 0.33, p < 0.001) and nutritional literacy (β = 0.22, p = 0.01). The model had good fit (x²/df = 1.422; RMSEA = 0.040; CFI = 0.851; NFI = 0.657). There was no significant relationship between health literacy and motivation (β = 0.11, p = 0.16), nutritional literacy and motivation (β = 0.06, p = 0.42) and motivation and sun exposure (β = 0.01, p = 0.91).

Conclusions

The findings showed that individuals with sufficient health literacy and nutritional literacy were more likely to have exposure to sunlight. Health and nutritional literacy should be considered when educating adults about vitamin D supplements and sunlight exposure.