Investigating the association of self-perceived food literacy with attitudes toward healthy nutrition and BMI among school teachers

Abstract

Abstract Positive attitudes toward healthy nutrition and food literacy have been associated with healthy eating habits in previous research. However, evidence regarding the relationships among food literacy, attitudes toward healthy nutrition, and BMI among school teachers remains limited. This study examined the associations among self-perceived food literacy, attitudes toward healthy nutrition, and BMI among school teachers. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 294 primary, secondary, and high school teachers. An online questionnaire including demographic characteristics, eating habits, anthropometric measurements, the Self-Perceived Food Literacy Scale (SPFLS), and the Attitude Scale for Healthy Nutrition (ASHN) was used to collect data. A total of 294 school teachers aged 20–59 years completed the study, of whom 73.5% were female. Obese participants had lower food literacy (p < 0.001) and healthy nutrition attitude scores (p < 0.05) than normal-weight participants. Food literacy and attitudes toward healthy nutrition were positively correlated with age and years of experience, and negatively correlated with BMI (p < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that attitudes toward healthy nutrition and BMI were associated with self-perceived food literacy (R 2 adj = 0.501, p < 0.001). These findings contribute to the limited evidence regarding the relationships among food literacy, attitudes toward healthy nutrition, and BMI among school teachers.