Influence of health food literacy on willingness to pay for healthier foods: focus on food insecurity.

BACKGROUND: The repercussions of food insecurity are widely recognized to negatively impact overall health and are influenced by a complex interplay of physiological, psychological, social, and environmental factors. METHODS: This study examined the disparities in food consumption and literacy between among food security households and food insecurity households using data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute's 2022 Consumer Behavior Survey for Food, which involved 3,321 respondents. RESULTS: Food security households had a greater understanding of and better attitude toward healthier food choices than food insecurity households. Economic ability was identified as having the most significant association with food purchasing behavior, with food security households spending more on average than food insecurity households. Structural equation modeling demonstrated the association of knowledge and attitude with dietary implementation and underscored the significance of consumer literacy as a factor related to willingness to pay for healthier foods. CONCLUSIONS: This study underscores the intertwined relationships among financial capacity, knowledge, and health-conscious dietary choices. It also suggests the need for targeted interventions addressing economic and educational gaps to foster healthier food consumption patterns across different socioeconomic contexts.

How does young women's weight perception affect their nutrient intake?: Korean young women's dietary consumption and nutritional deficiency.

We investigated the relationship between Korean young women's weight perception and nutritional deficiency to understand the effect of culturally fostered ideals of women's bodies on dietary life. We analyzed 585 participants' responses from the 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by using logistic regressions. Women who overestimated their weight were more likely to suffer from nutritional deficiency. Overestimating weight was significantly associated with increased relative risks of deficient carbohydrate and protein intake. The tendency of young women's low nutrient intake due to the distorted body image needs to be considered in the field of health care and education.