The Survey of Health Literacy and Factors Influencing It among High School Students in Tehran, 2016

Aim: Currently, the issue of adolescents’ health literacy is particularly important because it is an essential component in improving their quality of life. Due to the lack of enormous studies on this issue, this study aimed to determine the level of health literacy and factors influencing it among high school students in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This research is a cross-sectional and descriptive-analytic study, which was conducted on 400 male and female students studying in the second period of high school, who were selected using multi-stage random sampling. Data were collected through a questionnaire, which included personal characteristics, and the questionnaire of HELMA (Health Literacy Measure for Adolescents). The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 20 and descriptive statistics as well as t-test and ANOVA tests. Findings: The mean age of students was 17.01±0.87 years. 50% (n=200) of the participants were female, 50.5% (n=202) were from the North part of Tehran, and 34.5% (n=138) were in the third grade. 37.5% (n=150) had inadequate health literacy, 37% (n=148) relatively adequate health literacy, 22.5% (n=90) adequate health literacy, and 3% (n=12) excellent health literacy. Health literacy was correlated significantly with the level of education, parents’ education, source of information, the assessment of health status and interest in the issues of health (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results indicated that most of the students had limited health literacy. Due to the role of health literacy in promoting the adolescence quality of life, it is necessary to pay more attention to promote health literacy and gain sufficient skills in order to make health information be practical and working.

Keywords:

Health literacy , Students , HELMA , Tehran