Nutrition literacy differs based on demographics among University students in Bengbu, China

Abstract

BackgroundNutrition literacy (NL) encompasses the knowledge and skills that inform individuals' food choices. This cross-sectional study explored factors associated with NL among Chinese university students in Bengbu, China.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was carried out. Two thousand one hundred thirty-three university students were selected by stratified cluster sampling. A 43-item NL questionnaire was used to assess NL. Binary logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios (ORs) along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for NL and to test the interaction effects of multiple factors on total NL and its six dimensions.ResultsOf these participants, 1,399 (65.6%) were women and 734 (34.4%) were men. Students who were from urban areas (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.08–1.72), were living with both parents (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02–1.65), and had high academic performance (OR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.34–2.57) were more likely to report higher NL levels than did other students. The ORs for NL (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.06–2.41), nutrition knowledge (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.00–2.26), obtaining skills (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.16–2.65), and critical skills (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.05–2.39) were higher for medical students who had received nutrition education than for other students. The ORs for NL (OR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.21–4.84), nutrition understanding (OR = 2.59, 95% CI: 1.28–5.25), and interactive skills (OR = 2.06, 95% CI: 1.04–4.08) were higher for only-child students and those with a monthly expenditure of >¥1500.ConclusionsNL of university students differed in terms of place of origin, living arrangement, nutrition education, academic performance, and household income, and the findings imply that universities should have all students take a basic nutrition course to improve their NL.

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

“…This finding is consistent with previous studies [41,42] and suggests that individuals who receive nutrition information in universities and have completed relevant nutrition courses have better nutrition literacy [41,42]. Additionally, the use of food and nutrition information obtained through various media channels may be challenging for university students due to the unique environment of the university [13]. Insufficient nutrition literacy among students who do not attend central provincial universities may be due to underdeveloped economic conditions, low income, poor quality of life, limited access to nutrition information, and low awareness of eating behaviors [43,44].…”

“…After obtaining permission from the tool designer [13], the English version of this questionnaire was translated back and forth, first by two specialized translators independently translating it into Persian without knowledge of each other's work. Then, both translations were put together and the best words were selected to create a single version.…”

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

“…The original form of the questionnaire, NL-43, consists of 43 items. However, the short form of this questionnaire contains 12 questions and six dimensions [ 30 ]. These six dimensions include knowledge, understanding, obtaining skills, applying skills, skill application, interactive skills, and critical skills.…”

High nutrition literacy linked with low frequency of take-out food consumption in chinese college students

“…The NL questionnaire of 43 items, which was developed by Delphi consultation and has been validated in the Chinese adult population and university students with a good validity [ 28 – 30 ], was used to assess the participants’ nutrition literacy from two distinctive domains of nutrition cognitive and nutrition skills (the NL questionnaire and scoring manual has been provided in Additional file 2). The nutrition cognitive domain included two dimensions: “knowledge” (7 items) and “understanding” (5 items).…”