School children's food literacy and dietary behaviors according to maternal food literacy in Korea

초록

Background and objective: A caregiver's food literacy (FL) is a key factor in their children's FL and healthy dietary behaviors. However, the research on the relationship between FL and its outcomes is limited, especially among the Korean population. Thus, this cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the relationship between maternal FL and primary school children's FL and dietary behaviors in Korea. Methods: A total of 800 participants, including mothers and their children simultaneously, were enrolled in an online survey conducted in June 2021. This included 400 mothers who were the primary caregivers for their children in the household and their 400 children, who were in the 4th to 6th grades of elementary school. The subjects responded to the FL questionnaire as well as questions about their general characteristics, dietary habits. The food literacy questionnaire, which was validated, comprised 25 questions including five factors (production, selection, preparation and cooking, intake, and disposal) for mothers and 19 questions including five factors (production, distribution, selection, preparation and cooking, and intake) for children. Results: There was a positive association between the mother's FL scores and the child's FL scores (r = 0.4586, p < 0.0001). The participants were categorized into quartile groups according to FL scores, maternal FL was significantly associated with child's skipping breakfast [OR (95% CI) = 0.29 (0.16-0.53)], child's skipping lunch [OR (95% CI) = 0.32 (0.16-0.66)], and child's eating-out [OR (95% CI) = 0.32 (0.15-0.68)]. Conclusions: This study found that maternal FL may positively affect children's FL, as well as their dietary habits. These findings suggest that improving maternal FL may have the potential to promote a healthier diet for their children, although additional research is needed.

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