Investigating the relationship between spiritual health and health literacy level of seminary students

Background and Purpose: Health literacy has been suggested as a prerequisite and index to ensure a healthy life. Spiritual health is one of the four dimensions of health. The literature review has indicated a connection between spirituality and health. This study investigates the relationship between spiritual health and health literacy among seminary students in Esfarayen City, North Khorasan Province, Iran. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional (descriptive-analytical) study that was conducted on 82 male and female seminary students in Esfarayen City. The samples were selected using the availability sampling method. The required data were collected through two questionnaires, namely the Paloutzian and Ellison’s Spiritual Well-Being Scale and the Health Literacy Instrument for Adults-Short Form. Results: The mean age of the study subjects was 21.15±5.89 years (range: 15-45 years). None of the participants had low spiritual health. Spiritual health was at a high level in 61% of individuals. In samples with high spiritual health, only 26% had less than sufficient health literacy, while this value was 59.4% in those with average spiritual health. It was found that in 61% of the participants, health literacy was at an adequate level or higher. In this study, a significant positive relationship was observed between health literacy and spiritual health (r=0.336, P=0.002). The mean score of spiritual health was higher in women (P˂0.001) and married individuals (P=0.006). Spiritual health showed no significant relationship with income status and education level (P<0.05). Conclusion: Considering the synergistic and mutual effect of health literacy and spiritual health, paying attention to both aspects and planning to improve health literacy and spiritual health can play a significant role in people’s mental and physical health.