Investigating the Relationship between Food Nutrition Literacy and Food Choices of College Students

The main goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between food nutrition literacy and food choices. This study used a descriptive correlation design using quantitative research methods. There were 349 respondents which were the college students of a local college in Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte. The respondents were given two (2) sets of modified survey questionnaires. The findings showed that food nutrition literacy in terms of food and nutrition knowledge, access to and planning and selecting for food, preparing and marking food, and eating was manifested. College students’ food choices in terms of healthy motivations, emotional motivations, economical and availability motivations, social and cultural motivations, environmental and political motivations, and marketing and commercial motivations were observed. As college students become more independent and adapt to university life, making food choices can be a major concern. In addition, because of their hectic schedules, stress, and new environment, college students might not eat appropriately. As a result, bad coping strategies, bad eating habits, and routine disruptions happen. This challenges the idea that making better food choices is a direct result of having greater levels of food nutrition literacy. The results of this study indicate the extensive nature of the relationship between food nutrition literacy and the food choices of college students. This study highlights that simply knowing about nutrition isn’t enough for college students to make healthy choices. Further research is crucial to determine the factors influencing their food selections, paving the way for interventions that improve their diet, health, and well-being.