The correlation between children’s health literacy level and healthy eating self-efficacy

Background The school environment provides an important opportunity for children and educators to develop health education and health literacy the ability to make rational health decisions and identify and determine factors that affect health. The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between health literacy and eating self-efficacy levels of primary school students and the affecting factors. Methods The study was conducted with 486 fourth graders studying in a primary school located in eastern Turkey between September 2021 and June 2022. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Personal Information Form, the Health Literacy for School-Age Children Scale (HLSAC), and the Healthy Eating Self-Efficacy Scale for Children (HESES-C). Data were analyzed by number, percentage, mean, independent samples t-test, non-parametric Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests, and Pearson’s correlation tests. Results The gender of the students and the education level of their mothers had a statistically significant correlation with their mean HESES-C and HLSAC scores scores (p<0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between the students’ HLSAC and their HESES-C mean scores. Conclusions According to the findings of the study, the students had a moderate level of health literacy and a low level of healthy eating self-efficacy. There was a negative relationship between health literacy levels and healthy eating self-efficacy. © 2024 Kamuzu University of Health Sciences.