Assessing the status of health literacy with consumer health behaviors: A study with a content analysis approach

People with inadequate health literacy are less likely to understand the written and spoken information provided by health professionals and follow the instructions given by them. They also have poorer health conditions and incur higher medical costs. As a result, inadequate health literacy is a global threat today. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the status of health literacy, to determine the relationship between health literacy level and general health status and health behaviors such as the use of medical services and also to adopt preventive behaviors in the behavior of dormitory female students as a vulnerable group. The present study was a qualitative study in which purposeful sampling with maximum diversity was used and 25 students participating in the Islamic Azad University of Yazd were interviewed with open-ended questions. The main method of data collection was semi-structured interviews. By analyzing the findings from all the extracted themes, the main theme of life expectancy was abstracted, which included emotional vacuum, poor economic situation, malnutrition, decreased interpersonal relationships and reduced spiritual growth. Decisions were also made about consumer health behaviors, including self-care and preventive behaviors, nutrition, exercise, sleep and rest, stress management, non-smoking, spiritual growth, and healthy interpersonal communication. The results of this study can clarify the concept of paying attention to students 'health needs for university officials and students in universities to support them in order to maintain and promote health so that more effective steps can be taken to improve students' health in society.

Keywords:

content analysis , Health literacy , consumer health behaviors , female dormitory students