An Investigation of health numeracy competence and confidence among nutrition students at an Indonesian university

¹ Department of Sport Science, Faculty of Sport and Health Science, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia
² Department of Mathematics Education, Faculty of Mathematics and Science, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia
³ Exercise Sports Science Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Numeracy is a fundamental requirement for success in tertiary education, enabling students to achieve course learning outcomes and minimize attrition. In nutrition and dietetics, students must possess the confidence and capability to apply mathematical reasoning to complex professional tasks, such as managing nutrient calculations and interpreting clinical data. This study investigated health numeracy competence and confidence among 107 undergraduate nutrition students at an Indonesian university using a cross-sectional design. Health numeracy was measured via the General Health Numeracy Test (GHNT-6) combined with a 0–10 scale confidence assessment. The findings revealed a critical deficiency in applied numeracy; specifically, only 5.6% of students correctly calculated carbohydrate content from a nutrition label. Furthermore, a Wilcoxon signed-rank test confirmed a significant "overconfidence gap" (p<.001), where students maintained high self-certainty despite inaccurate performance. This misalignment between perceived and actual capability poses a substantial risk to patient safety in clinical settings. These results underscore the urgent need for a specialized health numeracy support framework that targets both technical skill acquisition and metacognitive calibration, ensuring future nutritionists can effectively navigate the quantitative demands of their profession.