# Status and predictors of parental food literacy: an Egyptian insight to highlight gaps and challenges

## TL;DR

This study examines food literacy among Egyptian parents, finding that many struggle with interactive food literacy and identifying factors like education and diet that influence it.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into food literacy gaps and predictors among Egyptian parents using a validated questionnaire and multivariate analysis.

## Key findings

- Only 24.5% of parents achieved sufficient awareness levels for total food literacy.
- Interactive food literacy was the most challenging domain, with only 18.6% of parents performing adequately.
- University-level education and regular mineral intake were significant predictors of adequate food literacy.

## Abstract

There is growing consensus on the importance of food literacy (FL) in public health policies and interventions globally. This study assessed parental total FL status and detected gaps. Determinants contributing to FL adequacy were identified from the socio-demographic, nutrition, and health-related characteristics.

A cross-sectional study on a diverse cohort of 1000 parents (718 mothers and 282 fathers) using a validated Short FL Questionnaire (SFLQ) was conducted to assess parental total FL status. SFLQ has three sections on functional (FFL; 6 indicators), interactive (IFL; 2 indicators), and critical (CFL; 4 indicators) FL. Parents were selected using multistage stratified random sampling from four governorates representing Egypt’s diverse geographic and socioeconomic contexts. BMI was calculated using self-reported height and weight. The chi-square test, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and logistic regression model were applied to predict parental food literacy.

Participants were 71.8% mothers and 28.2% fathers, with mean ages of 42.2 ± 6.3 and 47.5 ± 5.4 years, respectively. Overall, 58.6% of parents demonstrated adequate TFL, with mothers exhibiting insignificantly a higher adequacy proportion than fathers (60.0% vs. 55.0%, p = 0.15). Female parents consistently outperformed male parents across all FL dimensions. However, only 24.5% of parents achieved sufficient awareness levels for total FL, with the lowest proportion observed in the interactive FL domain (18.6%). More than 60% of parents identified indicators related to interactive FL as the most challenging. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified five significant predictors of adequate FL: regular mineral intake (AOR = 3.97; 95%CI: 2.49–6.33), university-level education or higher (AOR = 2.67; 95%CI: 1.82–3.91), overweight or obesity status (AOR = 1.62; 95%CI: 1.19–2.21), age ≥ 40 years (AOR = 1.59; 95%CI: 1.09–2.32), and higher household crowding index (AOR = 1.52; 95%CI: 1.06–2.17).

The study identified FL status and levels, detecting parental FL challenges in Egypt to be targeted. The study indicated the need for indicators related to IFL and some of FFL to be improved through media-based interventions. Motivating parents to improve their diet quality will help enhance FL to address malnutrition and food insecurity for a more sustainable future for the Egyptian population.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-026-26249-z.