The Relationships between Food Literacy, Health Promotion Literacy and Healthy Eating Habits among Young Adults in South Korea

Abstract

The obesity problem has reached a critical level and is threatening not only personal health but also public health systems around the world. Obesity in young adults is especially rapidly growing and many studies have confirmed that the best prevention is developing healthy eating habits with the improvement of food and health promotion literacy competencies. In this context, this study diagnoses the present levels of food literacy and health promotion literacy among young adults and explores the relationships between both literacies and their healthy eating habits. A total of 325 young adults in South Korea participated in this research, and the results are as follows. First, all food literacy components, which are food and nutrition knowledge, food skills, and resilience, are positively associated with healthy eating habits. Second, health promotion literacy is also positively associated with young adults’ healthy eating habits. Lastly, unlike the primary information sources, gender has a moderating effect on the relationships between both literacies and healthy eating habits. This indicates that the government and educational sectors should propose more policy supports and solid education systems in order to help young adults develop their food and health promotion literacies for overall well-being in the future.

A cross-sectional exploratory study of food literacy among Saudi parents of adolescent children aged 10 to 19 years

“…This conclusion could be explained by the fact that people with low food literacy are more likely to engage in high-risk eating behaviors that lead to weight gain. Risky eating habits contributing to weight gain include a diet high in fast food, skipping meals, and consuming a disproportionate number of processed foods (47). Compared to those with chronic disease(s), healthy participants had a 60.0% higher probability of expressing poor food literacy in the current study; this link may be due to parents dealing with chronic disorders needing to consult doctors and dietitians more often.…”

Food consumption patterns in employees of Ethiopian institute of agricultural research

“…Similarly, a study in the United States found that high school graduates ate less healthy than adults with some college education or more [ 58 ]. In South Korea, higher education was positively associated with adults’ healthy eating habits [ 59 ]. Furthermore, higher income participants' consumption of healthy foods may explain income differences in which lower income participants are unable to cover the cost of a healthy food.…”

Determinants of Changes in the Diet Quality of Japanese Adults during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

“…Although not statistically significant, those with higher health literacy scores tended to have a lower chance of worsening dietary quality. Health and food literacy are associated with healthy eating habits [ 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 ]. A significant relationship was found between healthy eating literacy scores and a well-balanced diet among Japanese adults.…”