Prevalence of nutritional literacy and associated factors among adult residents: a cross-sectional study from marginalized Community in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Introduction: Nutritional literacy is one of the most important and under-explored aspects of good nutritional status especially in low- and middle-income countries. Objective: Despite its vital role in health, nutrition literacy research, particularly in low- and middle-income countries remains limited. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of nutritional literacy in marginalized settlements of Islamabad and determine the socio-demographic factors that influence nutritional literacy. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 265 adults belonging to a marginalized community of Islamabad, Pakistan. Socio-demographic data of the participants was obtained and information on nutrition literacy and health outcomes was collected using two validated tools. Data was analyzed for descriptive and inferential statistics, with significance level set at Results: The overall prevalence of poor nutritional literacy was 89.1% in our study sample. Significant associations were found between three socio-demographic variables and nutritional literacy; gender ( Conclusion: The current study reported that poor nutritional literacy is highly prevalent in marginalized communities of Islamabad and age, gender, and education, act as significant determinants. Increasing nutrition education and awareness among socially disadvantaged population groups can help promote healthier dietary practices and overall well-being.