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

Abstract

Objective: Food literacy (FL) and nutrition literacy (NL) are concepts that can help individuals to navigate the current food environment. Building these skills and knowledge at a young age is important for skill retention, confidence in food practices and supporting lifelong healthy eating habits. The objectives of this systematic review were to: (i) identify existing tools that measure FL and NL among children and/or adolescents and (ii) describe the psychometric properties. Design: A 4-phase protocol was used to systematically retrieve articles. The search was performed in May 2021. Study characteristics and psychometric properties were extracted, and a narrative synthesis was used to summarise findings. Risk of bias was assessed using the COSMIN checklist. Setting: Six databases were searched to identify current tools. Participants: Children (2–12 years) and adolescents (13–18 years) participated in this study. Results: Twelve tools were identified. Three tools measured FL, 1 tool measured NL, 4 tools measured both FL and NL, and 4 tools measured subareas of NL—more specifically, critical NL, food label and menu board literacy. Most tools were self-reported, developed based on a theoretical framework and assessed some components of validity and/or reliability for a specific age and ethnic group. The majority of tools targeted older children and adolescents (9–18 years of age), and one tool targeted preschoolers (3–6 years of age). Conclusions: Most widely used definitions of FL and NL do not acknowledge life-stage specific criterion. Continued efforts are needed to develop a comprehensive definition and framework of FL and NL appropriate for children, which will help inform future assessment tools.

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

“…Nutrition literacy (NL), also known as "health literacy applied in the field of nutrition" (13), refers to individuals' competence in healthy eating. NL was defined as "the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand nutrition information and skills needed in order to make appropriate nutrition decisions" (14). Studies present nutrition literacy measurement instruments should be of multiple characteristics, e.g., different domains of cognition and skill, different dimensions of obtain, understand, analyze, appraise, and apply (15)(16)(17).…”

Food literacy competencies in youth – a mini-review

“…Hence it is crucial to establish healthy eating habits early in life and during the life course, especially in the transition to adulthood (2). The concept of food literacy is increasingly applied in the academic literature, especially in adults (3)(4)(5)(6), and several definitions of food literacy exist (3,(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10).…”

How Primary School Curriculums in 11 Countries around the World Deliver Food Education and Address Food Literacy: A Policy Analysis

“…In application, FL studies examine the interaction between FL and home economics [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ] or measure FL. The latter, small but growing body of literature measures FL levels to determine health outcomes and diet quality in adults [ 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ] adolescents [ 56 , 57 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ] and children [ 71 , 72 , 73 ]. The tools to measure FL in populations include questionnaires [ 63 , 74 ]; a model for incorporating FL in schools [ 75 ]; and a competency-based framework developed for application in schools and communities [ 76 ].…”