College Students’ Views on Functional, Interactive and Critical Nutrition Literacy: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

This research aimed to uncover how the nutrition literacy domains (functional, interactive, critical) influence the dietary decisions of young adults in college. For this qualitative study, undergraduate college students aged 18–24 years old (n = 24) were recruited to participate in focus groups. The focus group transcripts were independently coded for primary and secondary themes using a grounded theory approach and a basic thematic analysis. Four focus groups with 5–7 participants per group were conducted. The three domains of nutrition literacy emerged in the focus groups with two themes per domain. Themes within functional nutrition literacy included ‘food enhances or inhibits good health’ and ‘components of a healthy diet’; themes within interactive nutrition literacy included ‘navigating the college food environment’ and ‘awareness of food marketing on dietary behavior’; themes within critical nutrition literacy included ‘critical appraisal of nutrition information’ and ‘awareness of societal barriers to good health’. Understanding how the different nutrition literacy domains relate to college students’ food choices can inform future researchers on how to appropriately assess nutrition literacy and design programs aimed at improving dietary behaviors of college students.