IntroductionThe objective of this cross-sectional study was to
examine the nutrition literacy status of adults in the Lower Mississippi
Delta.

MethodsSurvey instruments included the Newest Vital Sign and an
adapted version of the Health Information National Trends Survey. A proportional
quota sampling plan was used to represent educational achievement of residents
in the Delta region. Participants included 177 adults, primarily African
Americans (81%). Descriptive statistics, ?² analysis, analysis of
variance, and multivariate analysis of covariance tests were used to examine
survey data.

ResultsResults indicated that 24% of participants had a high
likelihood of limited nutrition literacy, 28% had a possibility of limited
nutrition literacy, and 48% had adequate nutrition literacy. Controlling for
income and education level, the multivariate analysis of covariance models
revealed that nutrition literacy was significantly associated with media use for
general purposes ( F = 2.79, P = .005), media use for nutrition
information ( F = 2.30, P = .04), and level of trust from nutrition
sources ( F = 2.29, P = .005). Overall, the Internet was the least
trusted and least used source for nutrition information. Only 12% of
participants correctly identified the 2005 MyPyramid graphic, and the majority
(78%) rated their dietary knowledge as poor or fair.

ConclusionCompared with other national surveys, rates of limited
health literacy among Delta adults were high. Nutrition literacy status has
implications for how people seek nutrition information and how much they trust
it. Understanding the causes and consequences of limited nutrition literacy may
be a step toward reducing the burden of nutrition-related chronic diseases among
disadvantaged rural communities.