Abstract:

Aim: Within the scope of this research, it was aimed to determine the health literacy levels of individuals residing in Sakarya/Akyazı and in terms of which socio-demographic characteristics of individuals differ. Methods: 428 participants were reached using the convenience sampling method. However, due to missing data, data from 400 participants were included in the analyses. The Turkey Health Literacy Scale (T-SOY) developed by Okyay et al., (2016) was used to determine the health literacy level of the individuals. The questionnaire prepared by Teleş (2018) was used to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients. Results: 60% of the participants are male, 70% are married, 35.8% are 30 years old and under, 48.5% are associate degree graduates, and 68% are full-time employees. Health literacy levels are higher in women, individuals without chronic diseases, non-smokers, individuals aged 30 and under, individuals with postgraduate education, individuals with an income of 10501 TL or more, and individuals with public insurance, compared to the opposite groups Conclusion: Cultural change over time can be tracked through health literacy assessments. Particularly stakeholders in the health-education-politics-media quadrant can accelerate efforts to increase the level of health literacy by assuming more active roles.

Keywords: