Parental Nutritional Literacy and Its Association with the Nutritional Status of Children in Northeastern Thailand: A Cross-Sectional Study

Anunya Pradidthaprecha; Oranud Phuangmalai; Soracha Pookpun; Juthamas Kongphapa

Authors

Anunya Pradidthaprecha Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University , Thailand
Oranud Phuangmalai Faculty of Medical Technology, Mahidol University
Soracha Pookpun Faculty of Education, Sakon Nakhon Rajabhat University, Thailand
Juthamas Kongphapa Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Faculty of Natural Resources and Agro-Industry, Kasetsart University, Chalermphrakiat Sakon Nakhon Province Campus

Keywords:

Parental Nutritional Literacy, Nutrition Status, Late primary school-aged children, Sociodemographic

Abstract

This cross-sectional descriptive study aimed to evaluate gender-based differences in parental nutritional literacy and to investigate its association with the nutritional status of school-aged children in Sakon Nakhon Province, Thailand. A total of 414 parent-child dyads were recruited through multistage sampling. Parental nutritional literacy was assessed across six domains using a validated instrument (Item-Objective Congruence index = .78; overall Cronbach’s alpha = .84). Children’s nutritional status was determined using BMI-for-age z-scores (BAZ). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression.

The findings indicated that 43.48% of parents possessed adequate nutritional literacy. Female parents demonstrated significantly higher proficiency in self-management, whereas media literacy was identified as the lowest-scoring domain across both genders. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that children of parents with inadequate (AOR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.10 – 4.48) or moderate nutritional literacy (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI: 1.24 – 3.72) had significantly higher odds of poor nutritional outcomes. Furthermore, advanced parental age (≥51 years; AOR = 2.14) and male gender in children (AOR = 1.55) were identified as significant risk factors.

These findings highlight generational gaps in health literacy and a need for media-literacy-focused interventions. Public health policies should prioritize family-centered, gender-tailored strategies to enhance parental appraisal of nutritional information and mitigate Thailand’s dual burden of malnutrition.

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