Evaluation of the relationship between nutrition literacy and obesity in adult

Aim: The prevalence of obesity is a growing and serious health problem both globally and in Turkey. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between nutrition literacy and obesity. Method: Our study is cross-sectional and was conducted between December 2023 and April 2024 at the Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University. A total of 328 patients aged 18-64 who applied to the Family Medicine outpatient clinics and the Family Health Unit affiliated with our university were included in the study. Participants were divided into two groups based on BMI<30 and BMI≥30, and they were administered a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and the Evaluation Instrument of Nutrition Literacy on Adults (EINLA) through face-to-face interviews. Results: The mean age of the participants in our study was 35.1±12.7 years, and their average calculated BMI was 29,2±6,9 kg/m². Of the participants, 67,7% (n=222) were female. When the groups (Group 1: BMI < 30 and Group 2: BMI ≥ 30) were compared, there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of age (p=0.000), marital status (p=0.000), number of children (p=0.000), educational status (p=0.000), and presence of chronic disease (p=0.000). When the scores of the groups from the EINLA scale were evaluated, the obese group had significantly lower rates of adequate scores of food groups (p=0.004), daily portion quantities (p=0.03) and reading the food label and numerical literacy (p=0.000) subsections compared to the other group. Conclusion: In our study, it was determined that as BMI increased in adults, the score obtained from the EINLA scale decreased, and the nutritional literacy level was lower in obese individuals than in non-obese individuals. As a result of our study, it was concluded that increasing the nutritional literacy level of individuals and society is important in preventing obesity. Keywords: Obesity, nutrition, literacy, health literacy