Association between Dietary-related Media Literacy and Habitual Dietary Intake In Junior High School Students

Abstract

This study determined the relationship between dietary-related media literacy and habitual dietary intake among junior high school students. In total 1,456 responses from five public junior high schools were analyzed. The students were surveyed using the dietary-related media literacy questionnaire and a brief self-administered diet history questionnaire for adolescents (BDHQ15y). The respondents were grouped into three quartiles according to their scores on four subscales of dietary-related media literacy scale. These four subscales were divided into two categories, such as “critical thinking” and “autonomous judgment.” “Critical thinking” had two subscales as “influence from food advertisements and sales promotions” and “critical perception towards dietary-related media information.” “Autonomous judgment” had also two subscales as “judgment of nutritional balance” and “food label use.” The dependent variable was “food intake”; the independent variables included each subscale score, and the covariates were grade, region of residence, restrictions (by family members) on programs watched on television (TV), and TV viewing time. All trends were tested via covariance analysis.

The students with higher autonomous judgment literacy had greater habitual food intake recommended for consumption, which included vegetables, seafood, and dairy. Meanwhile, the relationship with soft drinks and sweets, the excessive consumption of which is considered as a problem, differed between boys and girls. The soft drinks and sweets were consumed less by boys with high levels of critical thinking and girls with high autonomous judgment.