Dietary intake plays a unique role to promote health throughout the lifespan. This study was designed to examine the impact of food literacy toward dietary patterns among adolescents. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire to measure the level of food literacy. Six food patterns were identified as ‘vegetable’, ‘traditional snack’, ‘fruit’, ‘fish’, ‘processed meat’ and ‘poultry’ using a principal component analysis. Participants/setting Four hundred and sixty four high school students (15-18 years) were selected using a multistage random sampling method from July to September 2015 in Malang City, Indonesia. Results The results showed that high level of food literacy was positively correlated with high consumption (Q4, quartile 4) of vegetables (r=0.412, p≤0.01) and fruits (r=0.297, p≤0.05) among adolescents. There were no significant differences in consumption of traditional snacks, fish, processed meat, and poultry. Conclusion A positive correlation was observed between high level of food literacy and high consumption of vegetables and fruits. Implementing intervention based on food literacy can be beneficial for improving the consumption of vegetables and fruits.
Dietary intake plays a unique role to promote health throughout the lifespan. This study was designed to examine the impact of food literacy toward dietary patterns among adolescents. Design A cross-sectional study was conducted using a validated questionnaire to measure the level of food literacy. Six food patterns were identified as ‘vegetable’, ‘traditional snack’, ‘fruit’, ‘fish’, ‘processed meat’ and ‘poultry’ using a principal component analysis. Participants/setting Four hundred and sixty four high school students (15-18 years) were selected using a multistage random sampling method from July to September 2015 in Malang City, Indonesia. Results The results showed that high level of food literacy was positively correlated with high consumption (Q4, quartile 4) of vegetables (r=0.412, p≤0.01) and fruits (r=0.297, p≤0.05) among adolescents. There were no significant differences in consumption of traditional snacks, fish, processed meat, and poultry. Conclusion A positive correlation was observed between high level of food literacy and high consumption of vegetables and fruits. Implementing intervention based on food literacy can be beneficial for improving the consumption of vegetables and fruits.