Health promotion, disease prevention, and healthcare: The measurement of high school student health literacy.

BACKGROUND: Low levels of health literacy are related with riskier health behaviors and poorer health outcomes. Biological science contributes significantly to students' health literacy, as many biology topics are directly related to health issues. This research aims to analyze the health literacy of high school students, focusing on three health domains: health promotion, disease prevention, and healthcare. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A total of 570 students contributed to this study, selected through convenience sampling. Thirteen test items were administered to the students via Google Forms. Data were analyzed by calculating the scores obtained, which were then categorized into performance levels. RESULTS: The findings revealed that overall, students' health literacy and their performance in the three health domains were at the basic level. Female students consistently achieved higher scores for health literacy and in the health promotion domain (Sig. <0.05) but were not significant in the healthcare and disease prevention domains compared to males. However, both genders fell within the basic category. Notably, male students performed below basic level in the domain of disease prevention. Among age groups, 17-year-old students performed at the basic level, while students aged 15, 16, and 18 scored below basic in disease prevention. The lowest scores were observed among 18-year-old students. The calculation results show that health literacy and healthcare domains significantly differ based on age, but the other two do not. CONCLUSIONS: The high school students generally possess a basic level of health literacy, with female students outperforming their male counterparts. Additionally, health literacy appears to decline slightly with age in this study.