A Community based cross-sectional study on health literacy among rural adolescent population in Pondicherry.

Abstract

Health literacy is considered as a tool in public health to reduce health disparities. This is considered an important issue among adolescents since investing during these formative years will result in informed decision making and healthier lifestyle choices in adulthood. To assess the health literacy level and associated factors among rural adolescents in Pondicherry. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural field practice area of a private medical college. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 rural adolescents residing in the rural field practice area of a private medical college using simple random sampling. Modified HLS-EU-Q16 (Short version of the European Health literacy survey) questionnaire was used to assess health literacy. Chi-square test and logistic regression. The mean age of the study participants was 14.33 ± 2.81. The prevalence of inadequate health literacy was 82%. There was significant association between the health literacy scores and socioeconomic status (<i>P</i> = 0.004), father's occupation (<i>P</i> < 0.001), education of the parents (<i>P</i> < 0.001), and school class of the children (<i>P</i> < 0.001). There was a significant increase in health literacy scores with an increase in age. This study has revealed that the majority of adolescents in rural areas of Pondicherry have inadequate health literacy. Therefore, targeted interventions are required to empower adolescents to make informed decisions regarding their health for them to lead healthier lives.