ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Nutrition Literacy Among Primary School Students in Nanshan District, Shenzhen: Current Status and Influencing Factors
Jing Yang 1
Nana Li 2
Ti Zhang 1
Xiaoyue Li 1
Liuyuan Zheng 1
Minmin Zhu 1
1. Shenzhen Nanshan Center for Chronic Disease Control, Shenzhen, China
2. Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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
Abstract
Objective: Nutrition literacy is critical for establishing healthy dietary behaviors during childhood, yet research on this topic among primary school students in rapidly urbanizing China remains limited. The aim of this large-scale survey is to assess the current status and identify key influencing factors of nutrition literacy among primary school students in Nanshan District, Shenzhen City. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in October 2024 utilizing a cluster random sampling method. A total of 2,423 students from 21 public primary schools participated. Data were collected using the validated "Nutrition Literacy and Dietary Behavior Questionnaire for School-aged Children", which evaluated four dimensions: nutrition knowledge and concepts, food selection, food preparation, and food intake. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and binary logistic regression. Results: Participants achieved a mean total nutrition literacy score of 69.93 ± 8.75, with 30.38% meeting the criterion for adequate nutrition literacy (score ≥ 75). Interdimensional analysis revealed statistically significant positive correlations among all four domains (r = 0.198 ~ 0.363, p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression identified grade level—representing individual-level factors (Grade 5 vs Grade 3 OR = 0.626, 95% CI: 0.500 - 0.783), high household economic status—family-level factors (OR = 1.389, 95% CI: 1.139 - 1.649), and participation in school activities including nutrition-related activities (OR = 1.346, 95% CI: 1.125 -1.611) and regular weight monitoring (OR = 1.346, 95% CI: 1.125 -1.611) as key predictors of adequate nutrition literacy. Conclusions: Nutrition literacy among primary school students in Nanshan District requires substantial improvement and is influenced by factors at individual, familial, and institutional levels. These findings suggest the necessity of developing a comprehensive, student-centered intervention model that integrates family-school collaboration to effectively enhance nutritional literacy.
Summary
Keywords
Health Literacy, Influencing factors, Nutrition literacy, Primary school students, Shenzhen
Received
25 December 2025
Accepted
19 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Yang, Li, Zhang, Li, Zheng and Zhu. 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: Minmin Zhu
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.