Premium
Determination of Health Literacy in Different Generations
Author(s) -
Muslu Leyla,
Sarvan Sureyya,
Oncel Selma,
Ugur Emine
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.13052
Subject(s) - generation y , third generation , first generation , generation x , health literacy , scale (ratio) , data collection , psychology , literacy , descriptive research , medicine , demography , gerontology , nursing , environmental health , geography , mathematics , pedagogy , statistics , health care , population , computer science , sociology , baby boomers , demographic economics , business , economic growth , telecommunications , marketing , cartography , economics
BACKGROUND The development of health literacy (HL) is critical in reducing lifestyle‐related diseases. The purpose of this study was to determine levels of HL and related variables among members of Generations X and Z. METHODS This study was a descriptive survey conducted in the city of Antalya, Turkey. Participants were 350 Generation Z students and 150 Generation X parents. We created a personal data form for both students and parents, and used the Secondary Education HL Scale and Adult HL Scale for data collection. RESULTS The average HL score of Generation Z was 20.98 ± 6.19 and that of Generation X 17.38 ± 3.54. The HL levels of 75% of the Generation Z were low to marginal and those of 33.1% of the Generation X were below average. CONCLUSIONS More than half of the Generation Z students and about one‐third of Generation X parents were found to have low HL. Health professionals and nurses can give direction to the different generations to improve overall HL.