An Interaction Path of Mothers' and Preschoolers' Food- and Physical Activity-Related Aspects in Disadvantaged Sicilian Urban Areas

Food and Nutrition Literacy: Exploring the Divide between Research and Practice

This study addresses the growing recognition of the importance of food and nutrition literacy, while highlighting the limited research in this field, particularly the gap between research and practice. A bibliometric analysis of publications on food and nutrition literacy research from the Scopus database was carried out. Endnote 20, VOSviewer, and Harzing's Publish or Perish were used to analyze the results. The growth of publications, authorship patterns, collaboration, prolific authors, country contributions, preferred journals, and top-cited articles were the bibliometric indicators used. Subsequently, articles aimed at measuring food or nutrition literacy-implemented programs were analyzed. Existing studies have primarily concentrated on defining and measuring food or nutrition literacy. Although interventions targeting food and nutritional literacy have shown promise in promoting healthy eating, further research is required to identify effective approaches in diverse populations and settings. This study emphasizes the need for additional research to measure intervention program efficacy to enhance the policies and practices in this critical area of public health. These findings underscore the importance of understanding food/nutrition literacy and developing effective interventions to promote healthy eating habits. By bridging the research-practice divide, this study provides valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to address the gaps and improve food/nutrition literacy in various contexts.

Health Literacy in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies

Early childhood plays a key role in the formation of healthy habits and the establishment of health literacy. Nonetheless, there are only a few research studies focusing on the health literacy level of children under the age of eight. The aim of our systematic review is to explore empirical research on health literacy related to early childhood. The research was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA protocol. This systematic review examines 12 studies published between 2013–2022. Results show that research focuses on different domains of health literacy for children. In relation to children’s food literacy, children understand the relationship between health and nutrition and they realize the health impact of obesity. The habits connected to oral health are strongly associated with parents’ knowledge of and behaviours around oral health. Results related to health care situations show that children are able to be actively involved in decision-making processes in connection with their health. Exploring young children’s health literacy is essential in order to be able to plan health promotion interventions, embedded into early childhood education. Picture-based messages or story-based messages supported by illustrations can help measure health literacy in early childhood and can support the formation of health literacy.

Relationship between parents' health literacy and child health: systematic review

Purpose

Parents' health literacy is an important element to ensure the sound health of children. One of the major purposes of this study was to systematically collect and review the literature that identified the relationship between two variables: parents' health literacy and their child's health.

Design/methodology/approach

To meet the purpose, the authors searched four well-reputed research databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar and LISTA (Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts) comprehensively to collect the relevant research on the topic. Except for books, various types of content from different years were used for this review. The investigators used Preferred Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines to select eligible studies for this review. The authors also assessed the quality of the reviewed research in the light of well-reputed quality guidelines shared by Boynton and Greenhalgh (2004).

Findings

The majority of the reviewed studies found a statistically significant relationship between parents' health literacy and the health of their children. Findings also identified that the majority of the reviewed literature scored from 9 to 12 on the quality assessment criteria. Results also highlighted that the majority of the reviewed research on parents' health literacy and child health has been conducted in the USA and utilized quantitative methods to conduct research on the topic under this study.

Research limitations/implications

This systematic review has multiple theoretical and practical implications for parents, policymakers and researchers.

Originality/value

This is the first systematically collected and reviewed paper on the relationship between parents' health literacy and child health.