Does Health Literacy Mediate Sociodemographic and Economic Inequalities in Fruit and Vegetable Intake? An Analysis of Slovenian National HLS19 Survey Data

Health literacy plays an important role in promoting healthier behaviors. However, less is known about its impact on dietary habits, such as fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. This study examines the mediating role of health literacy in the relationship between FV intake and demographic and socioeconomic factors among Slovenian adults. We used Slovenian national data from the 19-country Health Literacy Survey 2019–2021 (HLS19) ( n = 3360). Results indicate that health literacy plays a complex role in mediating the relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors and FV intake. Women and financially stable individuals have higher levels of health literacy, which positively predicts higher FV intake. While older individuals demonstrated greater FV intake, they reported lower health literacy, suggesting other mechanisms may drive their dietary behavior. Additionally, while higher education was associated with improved health literacy, its direct relationship with FV intake was negative, though health literacy partially mitigated this effect. These results underscore the importance of health literacy as a mediating factor in improving dietary behaviors and highlight the need for targeted interventions and policies to enhance nutritional education, particularly for marginalized groups.