The Paradox of Health Literacy: Unchanged Nutritional Behaviors of Literates

Unhealthy eating practices are the key risk factors for non-communicable diseases, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Avoidance of this issue could cause future health implications to the people of the entire world. The objective of the current research was to assess nutrition behaviors in health literates with different health literacy levels and assess the effectiveness of health education courses in improving these behaviors. A qualitative study design was carried out using grounded theory under the interpretive and critical paradigm as the methodology. Purposive sampling was used in the field of health education. Information was collected through open-ended interviews, transcribing, coding, and grouping them into themes. Thematic analysis was then utilized to analyze the data. The study found that deeply rooted dietary habits and limited access to health information are still caused by systemic problems like negligence and a poor national curriculum. Although health education has the potential to improve health outcomes, these barriers limit its potential. The results of the study indicate that since the development of nutrition behaviors is still in its early stages, policymakers must act carefully to prevent the raising level of nutrition-related issues. In order to address this, the health education curriculum ought to be revised to place more emphasis on courses that enhance health literacy. Although, this study has been completed with the small population sample, which may not be sufficient. In this area, further long-term studies with large number of participants are needed.