Abstract
BackgroundHealth literacy (HL) may affect the consumption of fast food. We aimed to evaluate the effect of HL on fast food consumption among adult populations in Iran.MethodsWe evaluated HL and fast food consumption in 421 adult participants with age range of 18–65 years old in Fasa, Fars Province, southern Iran. Two-step cluster and systematic sampling was performed to recruit the study sample. Data were collected using a fast food consumption checklist, and the Health Literacy Instrument for Adults (HELIA) by face-to-face interviews. Population data across groups with and without fast food intake were compared.ResultsMost participants used fast food every few months (49.9%). People with low or unstable income consumed more fast food than others (P < 0.05). Sandwich and hotdog were the most consumed fast food (60.8%) followed by pizza (34.9%). Sausage and soda were the most seasoning food (66.7%). Most participants used fast food as dinner (67.9%) and with family (72.2%), suggesting the institutionalized consumption of this type of food in the family. Fun was the most frequent reason for the use of fast food (66.5%). Most participants completely knew about the raw materials for fast food and their adverse effects. Finally, we found that overall health literacy was lower among those who used fast food than those who did not. Consumed fast food (68.16 ± 23.85 vs. 73.15 ± 20.15; p = 0.021). This difference was also observed for some components of health literacy including reading skills, and decision-making subscales.ConclusionsThe findings suggest there is a negative relationship between general health literacy and fast food consumption indicating that who possess lower level of health literacy is likely to consume more fast food. Specifically, the findings suggest that reading skills, and decision-making (behavioral intention) are more associated with decreased or increased fast food intake.
Highlights
Health literacy (HL) may affect the consumption of fast food
The present study examined the relationship between HL and fast food consumption among a sample of the adult population, and the findings showed that about 50% of the study participants were using fast food regularly
The findings showed that HL in those who used fast food was less than those who did not
Summary
Health literacy (HL) may affect the consumption of fast food. We aimed to evaluate the effect of HL on fast food consumption among adult populations in Iran. Fast food is defined as a convenience food purchased in self-service or carry-out eating venues without wait service [3] This type of food can induce several health problems such as body weight gain. Despite severe adverse health effects, fast food consumption has increased gradually due to the increase in the number of women working, changes in the family structure, worldwide urbanization, long working hours, and rapid growth of fast food industries and restaurants [5]. It seems that fast food consumption is becoming a major public health problem worldwide. In this regard some investigators proposed that if we could increase health literacy among populations, it might be possible to reduce fast food consumption much easier [6]
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