Fear or security? The role of nutrition literacy on sustainable and balanced dietary adherence.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine the impact of food security and scarcity perception on sustainable and balanced dietary preferences among university students and to evaluate the regulatory role of nutrition literacy in these relationships. METHOD: A total of 1200 female students aged 19-30, studying at state universities in Türkiye, were included in the study conducted with a cross-sectional design. Data were collected through face-to-face surveys; the Eating Information and Nutrition Literacy Assessment (EINLA), Adult Food Security Survey Module (AFSSM), Anticipated Food Scarcity Scale (AFSS), and Nutrition Based Eat Index (NB_EAT) were used to measure the related constructs. The analyzes were conducted using hierarchical regression and moderator effect tests. RESULTS: The mean NB_EAT score of the participants was 4.19 ± 1.04, and 64.8% were at a low level of adaptation. The food security score was found to be 23.14 ± 7.66, the hunger perception score was 43.34 ± 13.31, and the EINLA score was 29.68 ± 2.94. In regression analyzes, food insecurity is a significant predictor in terms of sustainable preferences (β = 0.097, p = 0.001). The perception of malnutrition was a positive determinant (β = 0.106, p = 0.004). Perceived scarcity was not found to be a significant predictor (p > 0.05). Nutrition literacy alone did not make a significant contribution, but in interaction with food security, it had a moderating effect on sustainable choices. In subgroup analyzes, a positive relationship was found between food security and sustainable preferences in individuals with sufficient nutrition literacy, while the relationship was not significant in those with insufficient literacy. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that food security is a stronger determinant of sustainable dietary choices than the perception of scarcity. While nutrition literacy is not effective in influencing perceptions of scarcity, it plays a role in strengthening the relationship between food security and sustainable choices. The study reveals that policies supporting sustainable nutrition should not be limited to structural improvements alone, but should also be supported by interventions aimed at improving individuals' nutritional literacy. As this study was conducted exclusively among female university students, the findings should be interpreted within this demographic context.