Status of health literacy and its influencing factors among high school students in Shenzhen city

Objective To investigate the status of health literacy and its influencing factors among high school students in Shenzhen city.Methods Multi-stage sampling was used and 2 316 students from 14 high schools were investigated with a self-designed questionnaire.The criterion of health literacy was defined as answering 80 percent of the questions in the questionnaire correctly.Results Only 24.65 percent of high school students had health literacy.The rates of health literacy about basic health knowledge and belief,basic health lifestyle and behavior,and basic health skill were 40.50%,20.03%,and 84.54%,respectively.Based on the results of logictic regression,academic performance positively affected the level of health literacy(P<0.001).Both the grade and academic performance were the influencing factors of different dimensions of health literacy,including health knowledge,behavior and skill.Conclusion The level of health literacy among high school students in Shenzhen city is low and it is necessary to implement appropriate measures to improve health literacy among the students.