Functional Nutrition Literacy and Healthy and Sustainable Eating Efforts Across Diverse Populations.
5 affiliations
- 1Area of Nutrition Surveillance and Physical Activity, Center for Health and Nutrition Research, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
- 2Epidemiological Methods and Etiological Research, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology - BIPS, Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Germany.
- 3School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
- 4Department of Psychology, Education and Health, ITESO, Jesuit University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.
- 5Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
Abstract
Introduction
Understanding how nutrition literacy influences individuals' efforts to adopt healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns is essential for informing effective public health strategies. Mexico and the United States have recently implemented several nutrition policies to promote healthier food choices within distinct social and food environments. We aimed to examine the association between functional nutrition literacy and healthy and sustainable eating efforts among Mexican Americans, non-Latino Whites in the US, and Mexicans.Methods
Online surveys were conducted among adults in Mexico (n = 5779) and the US (Mexican Americans = 3343; non-Latino Whites = 3674) as part of the International Food Policy Study 2021. Nutrition literacy was assessed using six questions based on country-specific nutrition facts labels. Efforts to modify diet across food categories were used to construct indicators of healthy and sustainable eating aligned with international guidance. Logistic regression models estimated associations between functional nutrition literacy and dietary efforts, stratified by population group.Results
Healthy and sustainable eating efforts were similar between Mexican Americans and Mexicans (≈50%-80%), but lower for non-Latino Whites (≈37%-65%), despite lower literacy levels in the former groups. Higher nutrition literacy was associated with greater likelihood of engaging in most dietary efforts across all populations, including increasing fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake, and reducing consumption of processed foods, sugary drinks, and nutrients of concern (AORs = 1.07-2.73). Some associations were stronger among Mexican Americans and Mexicans (p < 0.008).Conclusions
Functional nutrition literacy is positively associated with healthy and sustainable eating efforts, supporting its role as a target for public health strategies alongside population-level interventions.
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BibTeX
@article{jauregui2026functional,
title = {{Functional Nutrition Literacy and Healthy and Sustainable Eating Efforts Across Diverse Populations.}},
author = {Alejandra Jáuregui and Edna Jacqueline Ramírez-Contreras and Kathia Larissa Quevedo Torres and Alejandra Contreras-Manzano and Christine M White and Laura Patricia Arellano-Gómez and Simón Barquera and David Hammond and Rachel E Davis and James F Thrasher},
journal = {Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1111/jhn.70355},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894392},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Functional Nutrition Literacy and Healthy and Sustainable Eating Efforts Across Diverse Populations.
AU - Alejandra Jáuregui
AU - Edna Jacqueline Ramírez-Contreras
AU - Kathia Larissa Quevedo Torres
AU - Alejandra Contreras-Manzano
AU - Christine M White
AU - Laura Patricia Arellano-Gómez
AU - Simón Barquera
AU - David Hammond
AU - Rachel E Davis
AU - James F Thrasher
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association
DO - 10.1111/jhn.70355
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894392
AB - Introduction Understanding how nutrition literacy influences individuals' efforts to adopt healthier and more sustainable dietary patterns is essential for informing effective public health strategies. Mexico and the United States have recently implemented several nutrition policies to promote healthier food choices within distinct social and food environments. We aimed to examine the association between functional nutrition literacy and healthy and sustainable eating efforts among Mexican Americans, non-Latino Whites in the US, and Mexicans.Methods Online surveys were conducted among adults in Mexico (n = 5779) and the US (Mexican Americans = 3343; non-Latino Whites = 3674) as part of the International Food Policy Study 2021. Nutrition literacy was assessed using six questions based on country-specific nutrition facts labels. Efforts to modify diet across food categories were used to construct indicators of healthy and sustainable eating aligned with international guidance. Logistic regression models estimated associations between functional nutrition literacy and dietary efforts, stratified by population group.Results Healthy and sustainable eating efforts were similar between Mexican Americans and Mexicans (≈50%-80%), but lower for non-Latino Whites (≈37%-65%), despite lower literacy levels in the former groups. Higher nutrition literacy was associated with greater likelihood of engaging in most dietary efforts across all populations, including increasing fruit, vegetable, and whole grain intake, and reducing consumption of processed foods, sugary drinks, and nutrients of concern (AORs = 1.07-2.73). Some associations were stronger among Mexican Americans and Mexicans (p < 0.008).Conclusions Functional nutrition literacy is positively associated with healthy and sustainable eating efforts, supporting its role as a target for public health strategies alongside population-level interventions.
SN - 0952-3871
SN - 1365-277X
ER -