Level of Nutritional Literacy and Associated Factors among Health Professionals in Bale Zone, Southeastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Nutritional literacy is crucial for promoting healthy eating habits and preventing nutrition-related diseases. Health professionals play a critical role in improving patient outcomes by promoting healthy eating habits and addressing nutritional issues. Yet, there is a limited understanding of the importance of nutritional literacy in Ethiopia; therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of nutritional literacy and associated factors among health professionals in the Bale Zone, southeastern Ethiopia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 316 systematically selected health professionals working in public hospitals from December 6 to 31, 2021. Data were collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. Nutritional literacy was assessed using a validated 36-item scale comprising five domains: reading comprehension of nutrition and health, micronutrients, food measurement, food labeling and numeracy, and food group determination. Data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 22 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze and summarize the study variables, and binary logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with the outcome variable. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to measure the strength and direction of the association, and statistical significance was declared at a p-value < 0.05.

Results: Among 316 health professionals, only 34.5% (95% CI: 29.7, 40.2) had an adequate level of nutritional literacy. Being female (AOR=0.47; 95% CI: 0.25, 0.86), working in a general hospital (AOR=2.2; 95% CI: 1.20, 4.28), and studying medical/specialty training (AOR=3.3; 95% CI: 1.34, 8.14) were significantly associated with the level of nutritional literacy.

Conclusion: Two-thirds of health professionals have an inadequate level of nutritional literacy. Being female, employed in a general hospital, and training in medical/specialty training were key factors associated with adequate nutritional literacy. Interventions such as integrating nutrition literacy into pre-service/in-service training, addressing gender/professional disparities, and promoting printed material reading are urgently needed.