Nutrition Literacy and Food Practices of Preschool Teachers in Greece

Nutrition literacy, defined as “the skills to comprehend and implement nutrition information into everyday practice”, is a new area of study. Preschool teachers affect children’s perception of nu-trition and health and contribute to their nutrition literacy skills. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of nutrition literacy (NLS-Gr) of preschool teachers. The research included two stages of cluster sampling in a sample of kindergarten teachers in Greece (Rhodes Island). Nutrition literacy was assessed with NLS-Gr, the Greek version of NLS, and adherence to Mediterranean diet with MEDDIET score. The mean NLS-Gr score was 25.87 (SD±2.2) and is considered adequate. The correct answers range from 65.1% to 100%. Meddiet score was calculated at 33.94 (SD±3.8), and no correlation was found between Meddiet score and NLS-Gr. The NLS-Gr score of kindergarten teachers was adequate, higher than that of previous research on different populations. Yet their adherence to the Mediterranean diet requires improvement and food waste reduction. Educators should be empowered through targeted educational interventions to enhance students' health and nutritional behaviors. Further research could contribute to formulating nutrition strategies and policies in kindergarten.