Higher food literacy scores are associated with healthier diet quality in children and adolescents: the development and validation of a two-dimensional food literacy measurement tool for children and adolescents

Attitudinal factors associated with protein sufficiency in Chilean vegan university students - A pilot study

Introduction

Introduction: vegan diets are currently an essential topic of discussion because they are recognized as a prototype of a healthy diet but are also associated with deficits in the intake of critical nutrients such as protein. Evaluating the factors that influence the deficit in their intake in vulnerable populations such as university students represents an important topic of interest, considering that this is one of the groups where veganism is most popular. Given this, the present study aimed to determine the degree of protein sufficiency and its associated factors in a sample of Chilean vegan university students. Materials and methods: an exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted on 114 vegan university students who responded to an online survey on academic, attitudinal, clinical, dietary, and sociodemographic variables. Protein intake was calculated, and based on self-reported weight, daily protein adequacy was calculated according to the recommendation of 0.9 g/kg/day. Finally, the association between protein adequacy and previously consulted variables was calculated by determining the odds ratios. Results: only 53.5 % had adequate daily protein intake, which was associated with the length of time respondents had been vegan (OR, 2.86; 95 % CI, 1.07 to 7.34; p < 0.05), use of supplements (OR, 5.24; 95 % CI, 1.17 to 25.2; p < 0.05), and the frequency with which they ate lunch at home (OR, 87.7; 95 % CI, 24.1 to 304; p = 0.000). Conclusion: there needs to be more protein adequacy in the assessed sample. Protein adequacy is associated with the length of time on the vegan diet, frequency of eating lunch away from home, and use of supplements regularly.

Updating the Foodbot Factory serious game with new interactive engaging features and enhanced educational content

Serious games (i.e., digital games designed for educational purposes) can foster positive learning attitudes and are increasingly used as educational tools. Foodbot Factory is a serious game application (app) that helps children learn about healthy eating based on Canada's Food Guide principles and has demonstrated to increase nutrition knowledge among this group. This paper describes the process followed to expand Foodbot Factory's educational content and integrate immersive technologies and innovative features into the app. The revision process, which was guided by the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials model, included the following phases: first, an interdisciplinary team of nutrition scientists, education experts, and computer scientists analyzed data from the original pilot study, recently published literature, and feedback from stakeholders to define areas to improve Foodbot Factory. The five original Foodbot Factory modules were evaluated by the team during weekly meetings, where the educational content, interactive features, and other elements that required updates (e.g., aesthetics and accessibility) were identified. Second, prototypes were created and refined until a final version of Foodbot Factory was approved. Nineteen children tested the updated Foodbot Factory and found it "easy to use" (89%) and "fun" (95%). The new version of Foodbot Factory contains 19 learning objectives, including 13 original and six new objectives. Interactive engagement features in the updated Foodbot Factory included augmented reality incorporated into two learning modules; new mini-games were created, including a memory game; an overhaul of the aesthetics; (e.g., new food images); and accessibility features were included to support users with cognitive and vision disabilities.

Turkish version of the 'food and nutrition literacy questionnaire for Chinese school-age children' for school-age adolescents: a validity and reliability study

BACKGROUND

In this study, it was aimed to examine the psychometric characteristics of the scale named 'Food and Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire for Chinese School-age Children (FNLQ-SC)' in Turkish school age adolescents.

METHODS

The research was carried out with 341 school-age adolescents aged 10 to 17 years. The Cronbach's α coefficient was used to evaluate internal consistency reliability and the test-retest method was applied. The construct validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the content validity was assessed by the Pearson correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

EFA indicated that the Turkish version of FNLQ-SC had three factorial structures that accounted for 42.0% of the total variance. The overall Turkish version of FNLQ-SC questionnaire had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.679). The dimensional structure obtained in the EFA was controlled by CFA and the three-factor model showed acceptable goodness-of-fit indices (χ2/df = 1.924, RMSEA = 0.052, CFI = 0.864, GFI = 0.949). The Pearson correlation coefficients between each dimension and the overall questionnaire ranged from 0.300 to 0.842. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that age, gender, grade of class, being an only child and discussing nutrition information with families had an effect on food and nutrition literacy (R2 = 0.312; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The Turkish version of FNLQ-SC has good reliability and construct validity to assess the food and nutrition literacy of Turkish school age adolescents.

Nutrition and Food Literacy in the MENA Region: A Review to Inform Nutrition Research and Policy Makers

BACKGROUND

Improving food and nutrition literacy is fundamental to tackling the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region's enormous challenges, including malnutrition and food insecurity. To direct initiatives, it is crucial to assess the region's food and nutrition literacy. Thus, we aimed to review studies on food/nutrition literacy status in the MENA countries and illuminate the region's research gaps in these areas, in terms of assessment, policy, and program implementation.

METHODS

PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched between 18 December and 8 May 2022, to identify relevant articles published up to 2022 in the MENA region.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were included in this review. Lebanon, Palestine, and Iran are the only three MENA countries where nutrition and/or food literacy were assessed. People in these countries mostly had inadequate food and/or nutrition literacy levels, especially in the skills rather than the cognitive domain. Food and/or nutrition literacy showed associations with food habits, food-label use, food-consumption patterns, school performance, food security, dietary diversity, and nutrient adequacy. The MENA countries developed no policies or programs to address food and nutrition literacy.

CONCLUSION

This review is a wake-up call for researchers and policymakers to develop a robust approach to combat food and nutrition literacy concerns in the MENA region.