Researchers studied 653 Malaysian adults to understand how well people can read and understand nutrition information, and whether this skill affects their eating habits. They found that adults who were better at finding, understanding, and using nutrition information made healthier food choices. The study shows that teaching people how to read food labels and understand nutrition facts could help them eat better and avoid diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Age, gender, education level, and ethnicity all played a role in how well people understood nutrition information and what they chose to eat.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Does understanding nutrition information help adults make better food choices?
  • Who participated: 653 Malaysian adults with an average age of 29 years, recruited online between February and August 2022. The group included people of different ages, genders, education levels, and ethnic backgrounds.
  • Key finding: Adults who were better at finding nutrition information, understanding what it means, and using it to make food choices ate significantly healthier diets. This relationship was statistically significant (p < 0.05), meaning it’s unlikely to be due to chance.
  • What it means for you: If you learn how to read food labels and understand nutrition facts, you’re more likely to make healthier eating choices. This could help prevent serious health problems like diabetes and heart disease. However, this study shows a connection, not proof that learning about nutrition will definitely change your eating habits.

The Research Details

This was a cross-sectional study, which means researchers collected information from people at one point in time rather than following them over months or years. Participants completed an online survey between February and August 2022, answering questions about their understanding of nutrition information and their eating habits. The study was anonymous and voluntary, meaning people could choose whether to participate and their identities were kept private.

The researchers measured two main things: nutrition literacy (how well people understand and use nutrition information) and dietary behavior (what people actually eat). They looked at whether people could find nutrition information, understand what it means, and apply it to their daily food choices. They also collected information about participants’ age, gender, education level, relationship status, and ethnicity to see if these factors affected nutrition understanding and eating habits.

This research approach is important because it shows real-world patterns in how people understand nutrition and eat. By looking at many people at the same time, researchers can identify which groups might need more help learning about nutrition. Understanding these patterns helps public health officials and educators design better nutrition programs that actually work for different groups of people.

This study has several strengths: it included a reasonably large group of 653 people, used an online method that allowed for anonymous participation, and measured multiple aspects of nutrition understanding. However, there are some limitations to keep in mind. The study only looked at Malaysian adults, so results may not apply to other countries. Participants were recruited through social networks online, which might mean the group wasn’t completely representative of all Malaysian adults. The study shows relationships between variables but cannot prove that one causes the other.

What the Results Show

The study found that three specific skills related to understanding nutrition were strongly connected to eating healthier foods: the ability to find nutrition information, the ability to understand and analyze what that information means, and the ability to apply it to real food choices. Adults who scored higher in these three areas consistently made better dietary choices.

The researchers also discovered that different groups of people had different levels of nutrition understanding. Older adults, men, married or partnered people, and those with higher education levels tended to understand nutrition information better. When it came to actual eating habits, education level made the biggest difference, followed by ethnicity. This suggests that some groups might benefit from extra support in learning about nutrition.

The connection between understanding nutrition and eating well was clear and consistent across the study. This suggests that improving people’s ability to understand nutrition information could be an effective way to help them eat healthier.

The study revealed that demographic factors (age, gender, education, relationship status, and ethnicity) played important roles in both nutrition understanding and eating habits. Education level was particularly important—people with more education tended to both understand nutrition better and eat healthier diets. This finding suggests that nutrition education programs might need to be tailored differently for people with different education backgrounds.

This research supports what other scientists have found: that understanding nutrition information is connected to making healthier food choices. However, this study is one of the first to look specifically at different dimensions of nutrition literacy (finding, understanding, and applying information) and how each one relates to eating habits. Previous research suggested this connection existed, but this study provides clearer evidence of how different skills matter.

This study has several important limitations. First, it only included Malaysian adults, so the findings may not apply to people in other countries with different food systems and cultures. Second, participants were recruited through social media, which means the group might not represent all Malaysian adults—people who use social media might be younger or more educated than the general population. Third, the study was conducted at one point in time, so researchers cannot determine whether better nutrition understanding actually causes people to eat healthier, or whether people who already eat healthy are more interested in learning about nutrition. Finally, the study relied on people’s self-reported answers about their eating habits, which might not be completely accurate.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, public health officials and educators should develop nutrition education programs that teach people how to find, understand, and use nutrition information. These programs should be tailored for different education levels and cultural groups. For individuals, learning to read food labels and understand nutrition facts appears to be a worthwhile skill that may help you make healthier food choices. Confidence level: Moderate—the study shows a clear connection, but more research is needed to prove that teaching these skills will definitely improve eating habits.

Everyone can benefit from better understanding nutrition information, but this research particularly suggests that public health programs should focus on groups with lower education levels and specific ethnic communities. If you struggle to understand food labels or aren’t sure how to make healthy food choices, this research suggests that learning these skills could help. People with chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease might especially benefit from improving their nutrition literacy.

Changes in eating habits typically take several weeks to months to develop. You might notice small improvements in your food choices within 2-4 weeks of learning to read labels and understand nutrition information, but significant changes in your diet and health usually take 3-6 months or longer to become noticeable.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your nutrition label-reading habit: Log how many times per week you check nutrition labels before buying or eating food. Aim to increase from your current baseline to checking labels at least 3-5 times per week.
  • Use the app to set a weekly goal to read nutrition labels on three new foods you regularly eat. Take photos of the labels and note what you learned (calories, sodium, sugar content). This builds the ‘obtain’ and ‘analyze’ skills identified in the research.
  • Over 8-12 weeks, track both your label-reading frequency and your dietary quality score (if available in the app). Monitor whether your food choices shift toward lower sodium, lower added sugar, or higher fiber options as you become more comfortable reading labels. Review progress monthly to see if understanding nutrition information is translating into healthier eating patterns.

This research shows a connection between understanding nutrition information and eating healthier, but it does not prove that one causes the other. The study was conducted in Malaysia and may not apply to all populations. Results are based on people’s self-reported eating habits, which may not be completely accurate. This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace advice from your doctor or registered dietitian. If you have specific health concerns or dietary needs, please consult with a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet.