Nutrition literacy and socio-demographic determinants among Chinese women of childbearing age

作者：Jing-Jing Meng, Jie Chen, Li Pu, Yan Zhu, Yan Zuo, Fang Wang, Li Chang, Yi-Ying He, Jian-Jun Zhang, Zhi-lan Bai, Siqin Sun, J. Q. Liu, Jia Shi · 发表于：Frontiers in Public Health · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.3389/fpubh.2026.1742415 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Health Literacy and Information Accessibility、Child Nutrition and Water Access、Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet

Background Nutrition literacy is critical for women of childbearing age because it may shape dietary behaviors before and during pregnancy. Evidence on domain-specific nutrition literacy and associated factors in China remains limited. Methods A cross-sectional online survey was conducted from August 20, 2024 to March 20, 2025, with dissemination supported by three tertiary hospitals in East, North, and Middle China. Women aged 18–49 years completed an adapted Chinese Nutrition Literacy Questionnaire (CNLQ). Domain and total scores were calculated using the original protocol and transformed to a 0–100 scale, with higher scores indicating higher nutrition literacy. Adequate nutrition literacy was defined as total score ≥80. Psychometric evaluation of the adapted instrument was performed in the full analytic sample. Univariable screening ( p < 0.10) was used to select predictors for multivariable linear regression (total score) and multivariable logistic regression (adequacy). Results Among 1,764 returned questionnaires, 1,391 were included after exclusions. Mean total nutrition literacy was 74.9 ± 12.8, and 33.4% ( n = 465) met the adequacy threshold. Domain scores showed a gradient: functional 77.4 ± 13.4, interactive 75.1 ± 13.8, and critical 69.9 ± 14.2. In adjusted models, higher education, higher income, urban residence, and healthcare background were associated with higher total scores and higher odds of adequacy. Multimorbidity was associated with lower total sco...