Mapping the socio-ecological influences on child food literacy: a systematic scoping review

Abstract Background The prevalence of non-communicable diseases has increased in part due to a shift in food environments with more processed foods and low food skills among adults and children. Developing food literacy from early childhood is essential since food-related knowledge and skills develop throughout one’s life and are related to improved dietary intake. Food literacy is a multidimensional construct including food-related knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy used to access, prepare, and eat food. Given its multidimensionality, food literacy is shaped by a range of influences at various levels of the socio-ecological model for health (i.e., individual, household/interpersonal, community, and organizational). Therefore, we conducted a systematic scoping review to identify potential influences on children’s food literacy at the individual, household/interpersonal, community, and organizational levels. Methods MEDLINE, Web of Science, and CINAHL databases were comprehensively searched. This scoping review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews and informed by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. Results Of 3082 titles and abstracts, 139 studies, i.e., randomized controlled trials, quasi/cluster-randomized trials, non-randomized controlled trials, qualitative, longitudinal and cross-sectional studies, were included in the scoping review. Findings show that most influences on child food literacy exist at individual (children’s individual characteristics), household (parents’ demographics, knowledge, and involvement) and organizational levels (school-based interventions, school environment) and highlight the lack of research examining influences at the community (community-based interventions, media campaigns, geographical locations) level. The representation of our results across the different levels of the socio-ecological model may be a starting point for interdisciplinary mapping to inform future research and help guide policy and program efforts to improve children’s food literacy. Systematic scoping review registration OSF Registries (September 19, 2023) [ https://osf.io/9p7n5 ].