The Relationship between Health Literacy and Child Feeding Behaviors among Parents at Ban U-Thong Child Development Center, Ban Hua Thung Sub-district Health Promoting Hospital, Nopphitam District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province.

Abstract

This cross-sectional analytical study aimed to examine parents’ health literacy levels and the relationship between health literacy and child feeding practices at Ban U-Thong Child Development Center, Nopphitam District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. The participants were 95 primary caregivers of preschool children selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising general information, 24 items assessing health literacy, and 10 items assessing child feeding practices. The scale-level content validity index was 0.96, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.84. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.

The findings showed that the parents’ overall health literacy was at a high level (M = 3.75, SD = 0.49), with access to health information receiving the highest mean score. In contrast, interactive questioning and information sharing were at moderate levels. Overall child feeding practices were rated at a good level (M = 3.71, SD = 0.46). Overall health literacy was positively and significantly correlated with child feeding practices at a low level (r = 0.342, p = 0.001). Among the health literacy dimensions, behavior modification demonstrated the strongest correlation with child feeding practices (r = 0.421, p < 0.001), followed by decision-making and comprehension. These findings suggest that healthcare services and child development centers should collaborate to strengthen parents’ skills in behavior modification, decision-making, and comprehension to promote appropriate child feeding practices.