Nutrition Knowledge, Food Insecurity, and Dietary Biomarkers: Examining Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among College Students

By:
Emily Sklar, Marcela D. Radtke, Francene M. Steinberg, Valentina Medici, Deborah S. Fetter, Rachel E. Scherr
Date:
2025
Resource type:
Peer review
Link:

This U.S. study examined 166 college students and used carotenoid biomarkers (skin, plasma) and photo-based dietary tools to assess the relationship between nutrition knowledge, food insecurity, and fruit/vegetable (F/V) intake. Higher nutrition knowledge scores correlated with better diet quality and carotenoid levels, indicating higher F/V intake. However, food insecurity significantly impacted dietary quality and biomarker levels, even when knowledge was high. The study highlights that improving nutrition education alone is insufficient and must be paired with food access solutions to achieve dietary equity.

Photo Credit: Canva