Determining food and nutrition literacy of community health workers in the Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

Obesity is one of the critical problems that threatens not only health, but the economy at a global level. Among the factors associated with obesity is less than optimum level of nutrition literacy. Nutrition literacy is more than just the food knowledge, it is a combination of other essential factors that help individuals to maintain healthy a body size. These factors include the selection and consumption of nutritious food; acquiring knowledge and skills in the areas of meal planning and preparation; as well as using and knowing how to read food labels correctly.