Abstract
Gender role, independent of biological sex, affects health. However, research on healthy eating that considers the importance of gender norms is scarce. People who are androgynous and have high masculinity and femininity are reported to have better health practices than other people. The present study aimed to examine the differences in health literacy (HL) and self-efficacy for healthy eating by gender role in Japanese men and women. Participants were 629 men and women aged 25–34 years, recruited via a Japanese Internet research company database. Participants were categorized into four gender role groups using the Japanese Gender Role Index. HL and self-efficacy for healthy eating were assessed using the healthy eating literacy (HEL) scale and the healthy eating and weight self-efficacy (HEWSE) scale. Analysis of variance with Bonferroni-adjusted post hoc tests and hierarchical multiple regression were used to test the research hypotheses. We found that the Androgynous group had significantly higher HEL and HEWSE scores than the Feminine and Undifferentiated groups. The Masculine group scored significantly higher on both measures than the Undifferentiated group. Being Androgynous (HEL: β = 0.34, p < 0.001; HEWSE: β = 0.30, p < 0.001) was a strong predictor for higher scores even after considering other predictors. The results showed significant associations between gender role orientation and individual HL and self-efficacy for healthy eating. These findings may be relevant for promoting healthy eating from the perspective of gender norms.
Highlights
Compared with women, men lack knowledge and skills about food and nutrition, and less likely to engage in food preparation (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 1999, 2000)
The present study explored the association between gender role orientation and health literacy (HL) and self-efficacy for healthy eating among Japanese in early adulthood
Majority of the participants were categorized as non-gender-typed personalities, which is consistent with a recent study in Japan [22]
Summary
Compared with women, men lack knowledge and skills about food and nutrition, and less likely to engage in food preparation (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, 1999, 2000). It has been suggested that such differences might contribute to less healthy eating behaviors and lower health status among men [1,2,3]. Several studies have emphasized that gender role, independent of biological sex, affects health [4,5,6]. Gender norms can be changed by educational approaches to promote healthy eating. There have been little research on gender norms and healthy eating.
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