Understanding how food literacy is characterized and measured in the Pacific Islands region: a scoping review

Food literacy is an emerging research area and focus of health promotion initiatives to improve nutrition outcomes. Food literacy is contextual, and definitions differ across specific populations or settings. Food literacy as a concept has not been well studied in Pacific Islander populations. The aim of this scoping review was to identify how food literacy is characterized and measured in the Pacific Islands context and describe food literacy health promotion initiatives that may inform policy, practice, and research. The research questions were as follows: (i) How has food literacy been defined, described, and measured in Pacific Islands countries and territories populations? (ii) What health promotion initiatives have been implemented to develop and improve food literacy in these populations? A scoping review using a published protocol was conducted to identify grey and empirical evidence that broadly defined, described, measured, or explored food literacy and/or its components within Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia subregions, within the previous 30 years. The search using three academic databases and relevant websites identified 44 sources representing 16 Pacific Islands countries and territories. Of these, four sources used the term 'food literacy'. All other sources measured or promoted a food literacy knowledge, skill or behaviour, or a skill without directly naming it, highlighting the unique sociocultural elements influencing food literacy throughout this region. Understanding food literacy from this sociocultural context can help inform public health policy and health promotion practice, leading to more effective initiatives that reflect local values and practices and support local food systems.