ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
The possibility of patient-centered dietetic intervention in the context of health literacy in Hungary
Provisionally accepted
- 1Egeszsegtudomanyi Tagozat, Semmelweis Egyetem Doktori Iskolak, Budapest, Hungary
- 2Faculty of Marketing and Management, Szechenyi Istvan Egyetem, Győr, Hungary
- 3Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 74% of global deaths in 2024, with over 41 million people dying. The WHO has identified reducing behavioral and metabolic risk factors as a priority intervention. In modern healthcare, patient-centered care plays a key role by addressing individual needs, lifestyles, and motivations, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of prevention and behavior change. Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG), such as Hungary's OKOSTÁNYÉR®, are vital in prevention and medical nutrition therapy. However, the effectiveness of such dietary interventions largely depends on individuals' health literacy. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the relationship between health literacy, dieting habits, dietary counseling, and awareness of the local FBDG recommendations. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in February 2023 on a representative sample (N=500) of the adult Hungarian population, using the CAWI method. Data were collected with the validated HLS-EU 47-item questionnaire and additional custom items on health status, dieting, and awareness of the local FBDG. Health literacy indexes were calculated using validated thresholds. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, ANOVA, and multivariate regression analyses were applied (p<0.05). Results: A total of 77.4% of respondents had low (insufficient or problematic) health literacy. Higher education levels and younger age were significantly associated with better health literacy. Chronic diseases were more prevalent in low health literacy groups. About 32.4% of respondents followed a medically indicated diet, and 36.8% had received dietary counseling. Awareness of the local FBDG was relatively low (20.8%), particularly among men and those with lower education. Conclusion: Patient-centered care necessitates a high level of health literacy, enabling patients to actively participate in their therapy. Findings of the study highlight that low health literacy in the Hungarian population poses a major challenge to the success of dietary interventions. Targeted health communication strategies and tailored dietetic support are essential to improve the effectiveness of personalized nutrition care, particularly among vulnerable groups with limited health literacy.
Keywords: health literacy1, medical nutrition therapy2, dietetic care3, patient-centered care4, nutrition education5, Food-Based Dietary Guidelines6
Received: 17 Jul 2025; Accepted: 28 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Szucs, Ercsey, Horkai and Feith. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Helga Judit Feith
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.