Nutrition-Exercise Behaviors, Health Literacy Level, and Related Factors in Adolescents in Turkey.

Background: Health behaviors of adolescents affect their health and well-being into adulthood. This study was conducted to determine the nutrition-exercise behaviors, health literacy level, and related factors in adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional design was used for this study. Overall, 810 students in grades 6-8 in a Turkish school completed the study. A personal information form, the Nutrition-Exercise Behaviors Scale, and the Health Literacy for School-Aged Children Scale were used for data collection.

Results: According to the mean score of the Health Literacy Scale, 21% of the students had a low level of health literacy, 63.8% had a medium level, and 15.2% had a high level. A positive correlation was found between health literacy level and healthy nutrition-exercise behavior (r = 0.345, p < .001), and a positive correlation between health literacy level and meal pattern (r = 0.230, p < .001). A positive correlation (r = 0.385, p < .001) was found between meal pattern and healthy nutrition-exercise behavior. A moderate positive correlation (r = 0.510, p < .001) was found between unhealthy nutrition-exercise behavior and psychological/addicted eating behavior.

Conclusion: The present study revealed that nutrition-exercise behaviors and the health literacy of adolescents were at a moderate level and, there was a relationship between nutrition-exercise behaviors and health literacy levels in adolescents. Interventions should be planned and followed through with parents to help adolescents adopt healthy nutrition and exercise behaviors from an early age and to increase their health literacy level. In this context, it is recommended to implement training and intervention programs for adolescents and their families.