Food and Health Literacy

Food literacy is a sub-field of health literacy with a concept under construction, but corresponds to the ability to read, understand, and judge the quality of information; to seek and exchange knowledge related to the topics of food and nutrition; to buy and prepare food; to critically reflect on factors which influence personal choices about food and understand the impact of these choices on society. In turn, the ACP model is a three-factor communication model (assertiveness, clarity, and positivity) that aims to optimize education based on health literacy. The aim of this chapter is to present a proposal for food guidance which combines the foundations of the ACP model and food literacy for the different life cycles. The guidelines for each cycle were adapted to the ACP model. In conclusion, the ACP model can be applied to food literacy actions in any life cycle. However, it is worth mentioning that the professional's communicational behavior needs to be aligned with the assertiveness competence so that such actions are in fact effective.

The Role of Home Economics Education in the 21st Century: The Covid-19 Pandemic as a Disruptor, Accelerator, and Future Shaper

This paper explores the role of home economics education in the 21st century. It commences with an explanation of the disruption to the five predicted future global megatrends – globalisation, urbanisation, digitisation, cybersecurity, sustainability – as a consequence of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The place of megatrends framing home economics is explored by presenting a textual analysis of a literacy publication created as an acceleration point for framing the next one hundred years of home economics and underpinned by global megatrends, published prior to the pandemic. Using the Voyant Tool, visualisations of the book Creating Home Economics Futures: The Next 100 Years are presented and compared to other key literary documents informing the field. The paper then turns to the ways in which education and learning have led to the repositioning of home economics as a field and home economics literacy as the key strategy for ensuring the field continues to remain relevant into the future. Priority areas for education include food literacy; individual, family and community well-being; and the reconstitution of the place of the home.

Defining food literacy and dietary patterns among senior high school students in Malang City, East Java

Background: Food literacy is a collection of interrelated knowledge, skills, and behavior required to plan, manage, select, prepare, and eat food for further meeting dietary requirements and determining dietary intake. In Indonesia, 93.6% of all adolescents aged 10 years or over consumed an inadequate amount of fruits and vegetables and more than half often consumed food rich in sugar, fat and salt. Only one-third of students always had breakfast, only 3,81% always brought their own food to school. Adolescence has been considered as a nutritionally critical period of life. Improve the health promotion is important to prevent malnutrition and risk of chronic disease.Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the association of food literacy and dietary patterns among senior high school students in Malang, East Java.Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study determined food literacy level and dietary patterns among senior high school students using a questionnaire as the instrument. This study recruited 464 students aged from 14 to 18 years old. Demographic characteristics of adolescents and their parents, adolescent food literacy, and dietary intake data were self-report collected. The height was measured using stature meter and weight using electronic scale to determine the BMI-for-age. The research was conducted from July to September 2015 in Malang, East Java.Results: Out of 464 adolescents, 59.9% were females, and female adolescents had a better food literacy (P < .001) and higher dietary pattern scores (P < .05). Adolescents whose family had higher income or higher percentage of income spent on food consumed more vegetables (P < .05) and dairy products (P < .05), and had higher dietary pattern scores (P < .05) compared with those whose family had lower income or lower percentage of income spent on food. The perception of food literacy (r = 0.187, P < .001), the behavior of food literacy (r = 0.333, P < .001), and overall food literacy (r = 0.329, P < .001) were positively correlated with dietary pattern scores.Conclusions: Food literacy is positively associated with dietary patterns in adolescents. Nutrition education is suggested to implement as a guide in healthy food choices for adolescent.

Agrifood systems literacy: Insights from two high schools’ programs in Ontario

Following the increased industrialization and globalization of the prevailing agrifood system, researchers and practitioners have highlighted the detrimental impacts of this model on human health, food security, and the environment. As such, experts and citizens are calling for an increased awareness, through food literacy (FL), to improve health and justice and to transition towards sustainable agrifood systems. Building on field research, critical pedagogy, and existing FL analyses, we argue for incorporating both health and well-being, and agrifood systems dimensions into FL programming. By doing so, FL can contribute to promote individual health, as well as more sustainable agrifood systems policies and practices based on the principles of food sovereignty. Through qualitative research with students and teachers in two Ontario high schools, we explore the content and approaches taken in food-related programming. Aspects of FL among students are also explored in order to highlight their strengths and limitations. Further, we point to the challenges faced by teachers in delivering food-related courses. We propose a conceptual framework that highlights the benefits of including the multiple dimensions of FL as a way to test and improve existing FL programs, and eventually train future generations of teachers, students, and citizens.

Preserving stories, preserving food:

Worldviews, cultures, spirituality, and history not only influence how societies define “food” and “waste”, they also shape how we consume food and the relationship we have with the broader food system. While food waste has emerged as a global concern and a complex “wicked problem” that impacts stakeholders at all scales of operations, the issue is often framed as an environmental and economic problem, and less so as a social problem. As the food waste literature expands at a rapid pace, there is still a dearth of studies that focus on cultural and intergenerational approaches to food preservation and food waste reduction. This exploratory study emerged from an upper-year research-based course entitled Building Sustainable Food Systems (REM 363- now REM 357) at Simon Fraser University and offers three vignettes through intergenerational and multicultural interviews from Siksika First Nation (Canada), Pakistan and China. Students from the class explored the roles of intergenerational storytelling and informal learning by conducting key informant interviews with close relatives to document traditional food preservation techniques. This study created a transformative intergenerational and multicultural bonding opportunity, which allowed students to better understand their relationships to food, culture, and their relatives. The students also documented how the relationship to food has changed over time. Findings from the study suggest that intergenerational storytelling can help reduce food waste by increasing food literacy, improving cultural connections, and raising awareness about alternative worldviews that challenge the commoditization of food.

Understanding and developing food pedagogies in Ontario pre-service education

Policy documents implore Ontario teachers to integrate environmental education (EE) in the curriculum. Evidence of significant barriers such as lack of time, resources and knowledge, and lack of preparation at the Bachelor of Education level to teaching EE is well documented (Barrett, 2007, 2013; Stevenson, 2007; Thompson, 2004). Food literacy (FL) is often considered a framework from which to understand environmental issues, thus the authors sought to consider its’ usefulness in aiding integration of EE curricula. Using a ‘theory into practice’ approach we asked: Can food literacy be used to make environmental issues more relevant and accessible, thus diminishing the barriers to teaching EE? How do pre-service teachers define FL and do they know enough to use this framework? Qualitative interviews were conducted with thirteen Ontario pre-service teachers to determine their understanding of FL. Findings included a lack of exposure to FL concepts, however, there was an interest to using FL to help teach EE. Some suggestions to improve food pedagogy in the pre-service program and placements included: curriculum changes that made explicit connection to food; clear linkages between environmental issues and food; empowering students to do projects, debates and assignments on food, and experiential learning. Ultimately, there was interest and promise of utilizing FL to integrate EE, but a change of culture at the pre-service level is needed for it to be supported.

The Validation and Improvement of a Food Literacy Behavior Checklist for Food Literacy Programs

Food literacy is a multidimensional construct required to achieve diet quality. The Food Sensations® for Adults (FSA) program aims to improve the food literacy of low to middle-income adults living in Western Australia and is funded by the Western Australian Department of Health. The original published behavior checklist used to measure change in food literacy has been revised based on experience of the facilitators and the iterative development of the program. This research sought to assess the validity and reliability of the improved food literacy behavior checklist. A total of 1,359 participants completed the checklist over an 18-month period. Content, face, and construct validity were considered in the re-development of the checklist. An exploratory factor analysis of the checklist identified three factors: 1) Plan and Manage, 2) Selection, and 3) Preparation. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 0.883, 0.760, and 0.868 were found for each of the three factors respectively. These coefficients indicated good internal consistency and were higher than those found in the original checklist analysis. An external validation was undertaken with the original food literacy behavior checklist, and a strong positive relationship between the two tools was found. In addition to being used to evaluate FSA, this revised and extensively validated tool could provide guidance to others evaluating similar food literacy programs and contribute to international measurement research.

Towards a common understanding of food literacy

Food literacy is an evolving term fundamental to both health and education. The concept of food literacy typically has been informed by nutrition-focused thinking, with particular emphasis on food skills. Moving beyond this traditional focus is necessary to address the demands of consumers navigating today’s complex food environments. Although the term is increasingly recognized, there is no consensus regarding the definition of food literacy or its conceptual dimensions. This paper describes a Food Literacy Conceptual Model that integrates multiple food literacy perspectives and theoretical frameworks. This Food Literacy Conceptual Model provides an enhanced framework with potential application as a pedagogical tool. As an interdisciplinary approach to food literacy, the conceptual model has the potential to increase teaching and learning effectiveness in the school context through a tailored approach to understanding the core components of this construct. In addition, a learner’s food literacy may increase with the application of this practical and more comprehensive framing in the conceptual model.