Nutrition Label Literacy and Nutritional Status of Village Health Volunteers in Prakhon Chai District, Buriram Province

Manlika  Maiprakhon; Pornpimon Chupanit

Authors

Manlika Maiprakhon Department of Public Health Administration, Health Promotion, and Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, Email: manlika.ma@kkumail.com
Pornpimon Chupanit Master of Public Health Student in Nutrition for Health Program, Faculty of Public Health, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, Email: pornpch@kku.ac.th https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9234-0314

Keywords:

Nutritional label literacy, Nutritional status, Village health volunteer

Abstract

This study aimed to assess nutritional label literacy and nutritional status among village health volunteers (VHVs) and to identify factors associated with overnutrition in VHVs. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,440 VHVs. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Nutritional label literacy was assessed across three components: awareness and accessibility, understanding, and evaluation and application. Nutritional status was classified using Body Mass Index (BMI). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with overnutrition. The results indicated that overall nutritional label literacy level among VHVs was moderate in 47.5% of participants, high in 48.7%, and low in 11.7%. More than half of the participants were classified as obese (50.2%), while 19.0% were classified as overweight. Based on multiple logistic regression analysis, participants aged over 60 years were significantly less likely to be overnourished than those under 40 years of age (Adjusted OR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.28–0.69). In contrast, participants with underlying diseases were more likely to be overnourished (Adjusted OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.20–1.99). Nutritional label literacy was not found to be significantly associated with overnutrition. Despite moderate to high levels of nutrition label literacy among VHVs, overnutrition remains prevalent. This highlights the importance of community-based interventions that integrate nutrition literacy with efforts to reduce behavioral and health-related risks.

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