Impact of Nutritional Literacy and Food Label Reading Habits on Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Among Pregnant Women in Türkiye: A Cross-Sectional Study
FOOD SCIENCE & NUTRITION, cilt.14, sa.4, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 4
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1002/fsn3.71797
- Dergi Adı: FOOD SCIENCE & NUTRITION
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Food Science & Technology Abstracts, Greenfile, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
The number of studies examining the effects of nutritional literacy and food label reading habits on the healthy lifestyle behaviors of pregnant women is quite limited. This study aimed to assess the levels of food label reading and nutrition literacy of pregnant women in T & uuml;rkiye and to examine their effects on healthy life behaviors. The current study is cross-sectional and was conducted on a total of 370 pregnant women. All participants were asked to provide descriptive information, nutritional habits, and details about their pregnancies. The Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors in Pregnancy Scale (HLBPS), the Food Label Reading Attitude Scale (FLRAS), and the Food and Nutrition Literacy Scale (FNLS) were administered to the participants. The study found that as FLRAS and FNLS scores increased, HLBPS scores also increased (r = 0.21, p < 0.001; r = 0.15 p < 0.01, respectively). Regression analysis showed that food label reading attitude (B = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.05-0.25, beta = 0.15, p < 0.05) and food and nutrition literacy (B = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.15-0.43, beta = 0.21, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of healthy lifestyle behaviors. When both variables were entered simultaneously, food and nutrition literacy remained a significant predictor (B = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.12-0.40, beta = 0.19, p < 0.001). Moreover, according to HLBPS scores, it was seen that the FLRAS scores of the participants in the first tertile were lower than the participants in the second and third tertiles (p < 0.05), while the FNLS scores of the participants in the third tertile according to HLBPS scores were higher than the participants in the first and second tertiles (p < 0.05). These findings underscore the importance of integrating nutrition literacy and label-use strategies into prenatal care services, which may help improve healthy lifestyle behaviors among pregnant women, in line with recent recommendations in the literature.