2023 Volume 81 Issue 5 Pages 210-218
Objective: This study clarified the causal relationship between healthy eating literacy (HEL) and perception of the food environment (access to food, access to information) and dietary behavior.
Methods: In this online survey-based longitudinal study, we conducted a stratified extraction of the data of 9,030 people aged 30~59 years registered with a social survey company. A baseline survey was conducted in October 2018, and a follow-up survey in October 2019. The surveys received 2,331 responses (1,200 men and 1,131 women). The changes in HEL, access to food, access to information, and dietary behavior scores (2019 – 2018) were calculated. A causal model was then created, and path analysis was conducted.
Results: The HEL scores of men decreased significantly from 2018 to 2019. The changes in HEL scores affected changes in access to food (path coefficient = 0.07, p < 0.01), access to information (path coefficient = 0.14, p < 0.001), and dietary behavior scores (path coefficient = 0.07, p < 0.05). The HEL scores of women did not change significantly during the same period (p = 0.47), and these changes in HEL scores affected access to information (path coefficient = 0.10, p < 0.01) and dietary behavior scores (path coefficient = 0.13, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Improvements in HEL scores do not strongly impact improvements in the perception of the food environment and dietary behavior scores. However, HEL plays a role in promoting the perception of food environments and dietary behavior.
