Objective: To investigate the nutrition literacy status of adults in Jiangxi province and afford support for nutrition education.
Methods: Two large-scale factories from Nanchang, Jiangxi Province were selected, and then two hundred adults aged 18 to 59 years from each factory were cluster sampled as urban group. Two villages from Nanfeng County, Jiangxi Province were selected, and then two hundred and one adults aged 18 to 59 years from each village were cluster sampled as rural group. A comprehensive evaluation questionnaire on the effectiveness of nutrition education was used to evaluate the nutrition literacy of all subjects.
Results: The total scores of the questionnaire, the field of nutrition knowledge and nutrition attitude were higher in urban adults than those in rural adults. The total scores of the questionnaire and the field of dietary behavior and social environment influence were better in females than in males, which indicated that the female put more attention on nutrition. There was no difference among age groups on nutrition literacy. The nutrition literacy increased with educational level. The highest score on nutrition knowledge, nutrition attitude and social environment influence fields were observed in the group with college education.
Conclusion: The study showed that the nutritional literacy status of adults in Jiangxi province was at a lower level, which was influenced by the area, gender and educational level. Urban adult, female and higher educational level were positive factors for nutrition literacy, which should be considered in nutrition improvement and nutrition education programs in the future.