Sağlık Okuryazarlığı Düzeyinin Sağlıklı Yaşam Biçimi Davranışları Üzerindeki Etkisi: Üniversite Öğrencileri Arasında Bir Araştırma

Abstract

ARIKAN, Ahmet. The Effect of Health Literacy Level on Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: A Research Among University Students, Master’s Thesis, Ankara, 2020. In the past centuries, infectious diseases causing mass deaths have been replaced by lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart diseases, diabetes, and obesity. For this reason, the necessity of gaining healthy lifestyle behaviors has emerged as the main factor in health promotion. This lifestyle should include not only preventing disease, but also exhibiting health-promoting behaviors that increase the level of well-being throughout life. A healthy lifestyle requires knowing, researching, understanding and using information about how to benefit from health care and health care services. Health literacy is at the top of what is needed for all these health information related processes. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between health literacy levels and healthy lifestyle behaviors of undergraduate students. The universe of the research consists of first and fourth year students studying at Hacettepe University at undergraduate level. A survey was conducted among 452 students determined according to the stratified sampling method. To determine the students' health literacy level "Turkey's Health Literacy Scale (Tsoy-32)", the evaluation of healthy lifestyle behaviors "Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors Scale II" is used. The average of students' overall health literacy index score was found to be 30.76 ± 7.99. As a result of the correlation analysis, a statistically significant, moderate and positive correlation was found between healthy lifestyle behaviors and health literacy level. In line with the results of the research, suggestions were made to the relevant and authorities regarding the activities and actions that can be taken to increase the health literacy levels of the students. Keywords Health, Health Literacy, Health Behavior, Healthy Lifestyle, Health Improvement