THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FOOD AND NUTRITION LITERACY AND DIETARY INTAKE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN

Background and objectives: Food and nutrition literacy may be the underlying factor that protects nutritional quality during transitions. This study evaluates the association between Food and Nutrition Literacy (FNLIT) and dietary intake of elementary school children in Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken on 803 students (419 boys and 384 girls) aged 10-12 years from 44 elementary schools in Tehran city, Iran. Demographic characteristics, socio-economic status, as well as three 24-hour dietary recalls (two week-days and one weekend) were collected through interviewing the students and their mothers and/or other caregivers. Food and nutrition literacy was measured by a locally designed and validated questionnaire consisted of 46 items in 7 subscales. Food group consumption was compared with recommendations. Dietary diversity score (DDS) was calculated as part of the pyramid serving database that was categorized into 23 broad food groups. Results: Adjusted binary regression logistic showed that students with low food and nutrition knowledge were less likely to meet recommended portion of vegetable (OR=2.83, 95% CI=1.12-7.17) and meat (OR=2.37, 95% CI=1.01-5.55) groups. Those with low functional food nutrition literacy were less likely to meet recommended daily intake of fruits (OR=2.42, 95% CI=1.38-4.25). Conclusions: Future efforts should be directed at examining how families in very poor and food-insecure areas can be empowered to feed their children a more diverse diet. These interventions must increase the availability and sustainability of household food provisioning as well as take into account potential illnesses.