MEASURING THE HEALTH PERCEPTION AND HEALTH LITERACY LEVEL OF CHILDREN AGED 14-15: THE SAMPLE OF SAKARYA PROVINCE

Abstract

During middle adolescence, identity formation intensifies, social relationships gain importance, and engagement in risky behaviors tends to increase. Health literacy and health perception developed during this critical developmental stage play a key role in shaping individuals’ long-term health attitudes and behaviors. This study aimed to examine the levels of health literacy and health perception among middle adolescents. The research was conducted with 244 students from Sakarya province who participated with parental consent. Data were collected using two scales and a questionnaire consisting of the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. The first scale is the Health Perception Scale developed by Diamond et al. (2007) and adapted into Turkish by Kadıoğlu and Yıldız (2012). The other is the Health Literacy Scale for School-Age Children, developed by Paakkari et al. (2016) and validated and reliably analyzed by Ozturk Haney (2018). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, regression analysis, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal–Wallis H test were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that participants had moderate levels of health literacy and health perception. A significant positive relationship was observed between the two variables. Among the sub-dimensions of health literacy, both practical information and theoretical knowledge were found to be significant positive predictors of health perception. Based on these results, it is recommended that educational programs for adolescents include content designed to enhance both health literacy and health perception. Furthermore, academic research should be encouraged to expand knowledge and raise awareness in this important area.

Keywords

• Adolescent Health
• Health Education
• Health Literacy
• Health Perception
• Middle Adolescence

14-15 YAŞ ARALIĞI ÇOCUKLARIN SAĞLIK ALGISI VE SAĞLIK OKURYAZARLIĞI DÜZEYİNİN ÖLÇÜLMESİ: SAKARYA İLİ ÖRNEĞİ

Abstract

Orta ergenlik döneminde kimlik oluşumu yoğunlaşmakta, sosyal ilişkiler önem kazanmakta ve riskli davranışlarda bulunma eğilimi artmaktadır. Bu kritik gelişim döneminde geliştirilen sağlık okuryazarlığı ve sağlık algısı, bireylerin uzun vadeli sağlık tutum ve davranışlarını şekillendirmede önemli rol oynamaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı orta ergenlik dönemindeki gençler arasında sağlık okuryazarlığı ve sağlık algısı düzeylerini incelemektir. Araştırma, velilerin izniyle Sakarya ilinde bulunan 244 öğrenci ile yürütülmüştür. Veriler Diamond ve arkadaşları (2007) tarafından geliştirilen ve Kadıoğlu ve Yıldız (2012) tarafından Türkçeye uyarlanan Sağlık Algısı Ölçeği, Paakkari ve arkadaşları (2016) tarafından geliştirilen ve Ozturk Haney (2018) tarafından geçerlilik ve güvenirliği yapılan Okul Çağı Çocukları İçin Sağlık Okuryazarlığı Ölçeği ve demografik soru formu kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, korelasyon analizi, regresyon analizi, Mann-Whitney U testi ve Kruskal-Wallis H testi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular katılımcıların orta düzeyde sağlık okuryazarlığı ve sağlık algısına sahip olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. İki değişken arasında anlamlı ve pozitif bir ilişki gözlenmiştir. Sağlık okuryazarlığının alt boyutları arasında hem pratik bilgi hem de teorik bilginin sağlık algısının önemli pozitif yordayıcıları olduğu bulunmuştur. Bu sonuçlara dayanarak, ergenler için eğitim programlarının hem sağlık okuryazarlığını hem de sağlık algısını geliştirmek için tasarlanmış içerikler içermesi önerilir. Ayrıca, bu önemli alanda bilgiyi genişletmek ve farkındalığı artırmak için akademik araştırmalar teşvik edilmelidir.

Keywords

• Ergen Sağlığı
• Orta Adölesan Dönem
• Sağlık Algısı
• Sağlık Eğitimi
• Sağlık Okuryazarlığı

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