Human Ecology Research

The Korean Home Economics Association (대한가정학회)
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Status of Food Literacy and Association with the Nutrition Quotient among Korean Adults

한국 성인의 푸드 리터러시 실태 및 영양지수와의 관계

  • Geum-Bi Ryu (Department of Food and Nutrition, Chonnam National University Graduate School) ;
  • Young-Ran Heo (Division of Food and Nutrition and Research Institute for Human Ecology, Chonnam National University)
  • 류금비 (전남대학교 대학원 식품영양학과) ;
  • 허영란 (전남대학교 식품영양과학부 및 생활과학연구소)
  • Received : 2024.05.04
  • Accepted : 2024.06.03
  • Published : 2024.08.30
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Abstract

Food literacy (FL) refers to the ability to understand and utilize food information. This concept consists of functional (FFL), interactive (IFL), and critical food literacy (CFL). In today's massive information-driven society, FL needs must be paid attention to as a determinant of health along with health literacy. This study sought to identify the FL of Korean adults, and to analyze the association between FL and nutritional status. Data was collected through an online self-reported survey among 1,355 Korean adults aged 19 to 64 years, stratified by gender and age. An χ2 -test, student's t-test, ANOVA, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and multinomial logistic regression were performed using IBM SPSS 25.0. There were significant differences in the subjects' FFL, IFL, and CFL according to their gender, age, residence area, work type, and monthly income. Furthermore, it was confirmed that subjects with a higher nutrition quotient (NQ) grade also had higher FLs. Additionally, FFL and CFL contributed to improving the NQ grade. This study is meaningful in that it investigated the FL of Korean adults and provided data to identify populations that are particularly vulnerable to a lack of FL. In addition, it was confirmed that FL can have a positive effect on the nutritional status of adults. In conclusion, this study suggests the possibility of using FL as an intervention strategy to improve nutrition.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a Korea Foundation of Women's Science & Technology Associations.

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