Date of Award

Summer 7-24-2025

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

First Advisor

Robert Kentner, DNP, RN, CPHQ, CEN, NHDP-BC

Second Advisor

Jessica Comstock, DNP, AGACNP-BC

Abstract

Practice problem: The increase in preventable chronic diseases is associated with food illiteracy, which arises from a lack of understanding of nutritional value and dietary guidelines (Silva et al., 2023).

PICOT: (P) In adult primary care patients aged 30-75 years, (I) does the implementation of evidence-based food literacy program (C) compared to standard practice (O) improve food literacy (T) in eight weeks?

Evidence: Using a validated food literacy questionnaire effectively measures improvements in food literacy. Customized programs that fill knowledge gaps are essential for enhancing overall food literacy. Intervention: Customized educational tools were provided to participants based on their knowledge gaps on food literacy encompassing ultra-processed food consumption, portion sizes, nutritional labels and general nutrition understanding. A validated food literacy questionnaire was used to compare improvement in scores pre and post intervention over the course of eight weeks.

Outcome: The intervention did not yield statistically significant results; however, it demonstrated clinical significance, with 50% of participants improved their food literacy scores post-intervention. Additionally, 75% reported better food choices, increased intake of nutrient dense foods, reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods, and greater awareness of nutrition labels.

Conclusion: Food literacy is increasingly recognized as crucial for improving health outcomes in primary care, particularly in the management of chronic conditions. Customized educational tools are crucial for bridging knowledge gaps and enhancing overall food literacy.

Comments

Scholarly project submitted to the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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