Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Nakorn Pathom, 73170, Thailand.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Aug 16;23(1):1554. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16474-1.
Health information promotes a healthy lifestyle; however, media health literacy (MHL) is essential to personal intake, especially fruit and vegetables (F&V). This study aimed to determine how exposure to health information and MHL affect F&V consumption among Thai youth aged 10-14 years. Health behavior at this age can be an important determinant of consumption habits when transitioning into adulthood.
A stratified two-stage sample survey was conducted to recruit 1,871 youth across regions to be nationally representative. Qualtrics offline survey application was used for data collection face-to-face with all respondents. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the explanatory variables on fruit consumption and vegetable consumption.
This study found that almost 70% of Thai youth were exposed to health-related content via the Internet, and had low analytical skills to process that information. Grade Point Average (GPA), exposure to health information, various media types, frequency of exposure to health information, and MHL influenced the frequency of F&V intake. Health status related to fruit intake, age, place of residence, amount of pocket money, and body mass index (BMI) were associated with F&V consumption.
Exposure to health information and MHL are associated with F&V intake. Therefore, exposure to health information and MHL should be addressed for policy formulation in Thai schools and the health system.
健康信息可促进健康的生活方式；然而，媒体健康素养（MHL）对于个人摄入健康信息至关重要，尤其是水果和蔬菜（F&V）。本研究旨在确定接触健康信息和 MHL 如何影响 10-14 岁泰国青少年的 F&V 消费。这一年龄段的健康行为可能是成年期过渡时消费习惯的重要决定因素。
采用分层两阶段抽样调查，在全国范围内招募了 1871 名具有代表性的青少年。使用 Qualtrics 离线调查应用程序与所有受访者进行面对面的数据收集。采用多元线性回归分析解释变量对水果和蔬菜消费的影响。
本研究发现，近 70%的泰国青少年通过互联网接触到与健康相关的内容，但处理这些信息的分析能力较低。平均绩点（GPA）、接触健康信息、各种媒体类型、接触健康信息的频率以及 MHL 影响 F&V 的摄入频率。与水果摄入有关的健康状况、年龄、居住地、零花钱数额和体重指数（BMI）与 F&V 的消费有关。
接触健康信息和 MHL 与 F&V 的摄入有关。因此，应在泰国学校和卫生系统中制定政策，解决接触健康信息和 MHL 的问题。
