ABSTRACT
Background: Obesity is a growing public health issue even in low and middle income countries which are usually associated with issues of undernutrition. The growing prevalence is leading to what is known as the “double burden” of malnutrition (Manyanga, El-Sayed, Doku, & Randall, 2014). Adolescents are a group that are particularly vulnerable with respect to obesity because they are likely to carry obesity into their later years (Manyanga et al., 2014; Teshome, Singh, & Debebe, 2013). This is a big issue because obesity is associated with poor health outcomes. Health literacy appears to have some association with obesity.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess health literacy, determine obesity prevalence among adolescents and then determine health literacy in relation to obesity among adolescents. The study also sought to determine associations between adolescents’ HL and behavioural risk factors for obesity.
Method: This was a cross-sectional analytical study. 292 students between the ages of 10 and 15 years were randomly selected from 4 schools within the Adentan Municipality. The Newest Vital Sign (NVS) which has been developed as a tool to quickly measure health literacy and has been validated for use among adolescents was used in this study.
Results: Prevalence of obesity among respondents was 9.9%. 46.6% of respondents were categorized as having adequate health literacy while 53.4% were categorized as having limited health literacy. There were no significant associations between health literacy and overweight and obesity.
Conclusion: Prevalence for obesity among adolescents is high. Health literacy among adolescents warrants some improvement.
EWA, C (2021). The Association Between Health Literacy And Obesity Among Adolescents In Selected Schools In Adentan Municipality. Afribary. Retrieved from https://tracking.afribary.com/works/the-association-between-health-literacy-and-obesity-among-adolescents-in-selected-schools-in-adentan-municipality
EWA, CLAUDIA "The Association Between Health Literacy And Obesity Among Adolescents In Selected Schools In Adentan Municipality" Afribary. Afribary, 26 May. 2021, https://tracking.afribary.com/works/the-association-between-health-literacy-and-obesity-among-adolescents-in-selected-schools-in-adentan-municipality. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
EWA, CLAUDIA . "The Association Between Health Literacy And Obesity Among Adolescents In Selected Schools In Adentan Municipality". Afribary, Afribary, 26 May. 2021. Web. 30 Nov. 2024. < https://tracking.afribary.com/works/the-association-between-health-literacy-and-obesity-among-adolescents-in-selected-schools-in-adentan-municipality >.
EWA, CLAUDIA . "The Association Between Health Literacy And Obesity Among Adolescents In Selected Schools In Adentan Municipality" Afribary (2021). Accessed November 30, 2024. https://tracking.afribary.com/works/the-association-between-health-literacy-and-obesity-among-adolescents-in-selected-schools-in-adentan-municipality