AUTHOR=Mankar Amar , Kawalkar Umesh , Quazi Syed Zahiruddin , Gaidhane Abhay 

TITLE=Nutrition literacy: a key factor in public health improvement in India

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1643629

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2025.1643629

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=Nutrition literacy is the capacity to obtain, understand, and apply nutrition information. It plays a pivotal role in addressing India’s coexistence of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising non-communicable diseases. This perspective synthesizes evidence on how nutrition, food, and health literacy shape dietary behavior and program uptake. This will highlight the rural–urban and adolescent–young adult gaps. We argue for participatory action research (PAR) approaches to co-design context-specific interventions and propose a multilevel strategy spanning schools, antenatal care, and community platforms. We present a conceptual framework linking literacy domains to improved dietary quality and NCD prevention, and outline priorities for measurement and policy integration in India.