Health Literacy of Adolescents

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe influencing factors of adolescent health literacy.

Methods: This study is a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study. Based on an a priori power analysis and utilizing convenience sampling, 105 adolescents completed the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy instrument via the Qualtrics online platform. Health literacy was correlated with potential influencing factors to determine relationships between variables.

Results: The mean NVS score was 3.78 (SD = 1.96), indicating possible limited health literacy in this population. There was a moderate, positive correlation between adolescent health literacy and race (r = 0.34, p = .00), with non-white adolescents scoring lower than white adolescents. There was a moderate, positive correlation between adolescent health literacy and income (r = 0.24, p < .05). There were no statistically significant correlations between adolescent health literacy and age or grade level. Regression analysis showed that the overall model accounts for a significant amount of the variance in health literacy scores (F (2, 95) =7.99, p = .001; R = 0.144; R = 0.126). Race was the only variable that significantly contributed to the model (β = 1.26; SE(β) = 0.40; Standardized β = 0.30, p < .01).

Conclusions: This study adds to the paucity of adolescent health literacy literature. Furthermore, this study indicates that race and income may play significant roles in adolescent health literacy. Future research is needed to further investigate influencing factors of adolescent health literacy.

Practice Implications: This article provides unique information for nurses to consider alongside other individualized assessments as they continue to design health promotion and patient education practices for adolescents.