Determination of Perceived Food Literacy Levels in Adult Individuals

Year 2026, Volume: 16 Issue: 1, 62 - 67, 19.03.2026

Nevra Karaca Bıçakçı , Güven Soner , Ayşe Çalmaz , Rukiye Türk Delibalta , Selen Arya Avanaş

https://izlik.org/JA87BS72XK

Abstract

Aim: This study was conducted as cross-sectional research to assess
adults’ perceived food literacy levels.
Materials and methods: This research was conducted as a
cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of adults
aged 18 and older. The unknown population sampling method
was used in the research. In calculating the sample size, a 95%
confidence level, a probability of p=0.50, and a margin of error of
d=0.05 were used as the basis, and, according to this formula, the
minimum sample size was determined to be 385 individuals. The
study was completed with the participation of 814 volunteers via
an online platform.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 30.78±10.74
years, ranging from 18 to 68 years. Among the participants, 72.4%
were women, and 87.2% were university graduates. The mean
total score on the Perceived Food Literacy Scale (PFLS) was
89.66±7.49. When the mean PFLS scores were compared across
participants’ socio-demographic characteristics, it was determined
that women had higher scores than men, single participants
had higher scores than married participants, and those without any
substance dependence, such as smoking or alcohol, had higher
scores than those with substance dependence. The differences
between these groups were statistically significant (p <0.05).
Conclusion: This study revealed that adults possess moderateto-
good food literacy, yet gaps remain in label reading and meal
planning. Considering that efforts to improve conscious food literacy,
which significantly impacts healthy eating, were limited to
a single region and relied on self-reported data, future studies
should include diverse populations and investigate how contextual
factors such as age, occupation, and regional culture influence
food literacy.

Keywords

Food , Healthy nutrition , Adult food literacy

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