Relationship between household food insecurity and food and nutrition literacy among children of 9–12 years of age: a cross-sectional study in a city of Iran

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between household food insecurity (HFI) with food and nutrition literacy (FNLIT) in a sample of Iranian children. This cross sectional study was performed on 315 children aged 9 to 12 years recruited from the primary schools throughout Mashhad, Iran. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) was used to assess the HFI. Also, overall FNLIT score and its sub-categories were evaluated using a validated 40-item questionnaire. Results The prevalence of HFI in the total sample was about 56%. Also, almost 14% of students had a low FNLIT score. Food insecure children had significantly lower levels of FNLT and some subscales including nutrition knowledge, food choice literacy, and food label literacy than the food-secure subjects, moreover, they had a higher likelihood of having low FNLIT score (OR = 2.89, CI 1.03–8.09; p = 0.04). In conclusion, there is a negative association between HFI and FNLIT in children. Further studies to confirm this finding are needed.

What Is the Impact of Nutrition Literacy Interventions on Children’s Food Habits and Nutrition Security? A Scoping Review of the Literature

“…Moreover, face-to-face lessons did not seem to be not very effective, while more involving methods, for example workshops or multimedia activities, appeared more profitable, as demonstrated by the study of Harley et al [ 16 ], in which face-to-face lessons were combined with an experience of cooking lessons, and results proved to be better. The relationship between literacy and habits was also shown by Khorramrouz et al’s [ 24 ] research, in which, through the use of HFI (Household Food Insecurity) and FNLIT (Food and Nutrition Literacy) scales, children who had a more severe condition of FNS in terms of insufficient food quality and insufficient food intake, also obtained worse scores to the measurement of NL.…”

“…From results collected through our systematic review, it seems maternal NL interventions significantly influenced children’s stunting status [ 17 , 18 ], wasting, and underweight [ 18 ]. According to the literature, children living in families with a limited access to nutritionally adequate and safe food or with an inability to acquire foods in socially acceptable ways were more likely to have a lower overall nutritional knowledge, food choice literacy, and food label literacy [ 24 ]. Despite the small number of cases examined, the positive effect of nutritional literacy interventions on FNS was more evident in children than in adolescents.…”

Assessing food and nutrition literacy in children and adolescents: a systematic review of existing tools

“…While FL was evaluated among students, their definition only considered knowledge relating to cultivation practices and the processing of finger millet (20) . In addition, multiple publications (21)(22)(23)(24) have been released using the Preschool-FLAT and the FNLIT; where, only the validation studies (25,26) were included in this review.…”

Relationships of Family food environment with food and nutrition literacy in Chinese school-age children

“…Families and peers partly consist of the children's ecological niche, and they can get affected by community, society, media, and food offering [20], which are then de ned as environmental factors. In view that most of children's eating behaviors occur at and around home, family food environment (FFE) may exert impact on children's FNL and eating behaviors [21]. Young children depend on their families to support wellbeing and promote positive development, including FNL and eating behaviors.…”