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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1441694
This article is part of the Research Topic Sustainable Diets with Sociocultural and Economic Considerations View all 18 articles
The Importance of Socio-demographic Factors on Food Literacy in Disadvantaged Communities
Provisionally accepted- Loyola Andalusia University, Seville, Andalusia, Spain
This study examines food literacy in disadvantaged communities, analysing how socio-demographic factors influence food-related behaviours. Food literacy-the ability to make informed food choices supporting health and sustainability-is critical for addressing malnutrition and food insecurity, particularly in impoverished areas. However, research has largely focused on developed countries, leaving gaps in understanding low-income contexts.We assessed food literacy levels in 400 predominantly female-headed households in a disadvantaged community in western Honduras. Using a locally adapted food literacy assessment, we evaluated four dimensions: Planning and Management, Selecting, Preparing, and Eating food. Results indicated a moderately high overall food literacy level (average score: 82.73/114), with significant variations across dimensions. Planning (66.24%) and Selecting (59.2%) had the lowest scores, revealing challenges in meal planning and choosing healthy foods. In contrast, food preparation skills were notably high, indicating resilience despite resource limitations.Key socio-demographic factors-age, income, education, and location-significantly affected food literacy. Older adults (50+) had substantially lower scores than younger groups (ANOVA, p < 0.05). Lower-income individuals and residents of rural areas or small municipalities also exhibited poorer food literacy (p=0.000 in both cases). Education was a crucial determinant, with higher attainment correlating with better food literacy (p=0.000), especially in planning (p=0.00) and selecting food (p<0.05).Findings emphasise the need for systemic interventions addressing socio-economic determinants like education, income, and infrastructure to foster healthier food practices. Integrating food literacy education into community programmes and tailoring initiatives for older adults and rural populations is essential. However, meaningful progress requires policies that improve income levels and enhance infrastructure connecting rural and urban areas.
Keywords: food literacy, Disadvantaged areas, Food system sustainability, healthy eating, sociodemographic factors, Food insecurity, food policy
Received: 31 May 2024; Accepted: 18 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Araque-Padilla and Montero-Simó. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Rafael A. Araque-Padilla, Loyola Andalusia University, Seville, 41014, Andalusia, Spain
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