Health literacy among an undergraduate student population: a comparative study

Abstract

The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a critical period in the development of an individual’s long-term health behaviour. Health literacy is a critical factor in promoting and maintaining health-enhancing behaviours and preventing non-communicable diseases. Undergraduate students often have limited health literacy, regardless of their educational experience. This quantitative study compared the health literacy of a sample of undergraduate students enrolled in degree programmes in the Faculty of Health Sciences with a similar sample from the Faculty of Humanities at a South African university. The Health Literacy Questionnaire was used to measure health literacy across nine subscales. The sample included 77 participants ( n = 77). An independent samples t-test and Mann–Whitney U test were employed to compare the health literacy of students from the two faculties. The study found that students enrolled in the Faculty of Health Sciences generally demonstrated higher health literacy levels across several subscales compared to those from the Faculty of Humanities. This research contributes to understanding the disparities in health literacy among undergraduate students across distinct academic disciplines, underscoring the importance of implementing interventions to enhance health-related knowledge within specific academic domains.