Impact of parental and teacher health literacy on adolescent health behaviors: a cross-sectional study

Health literacy (HL) is a critical determinant of students’ health behaviors, yet its relationship among parents, teachers, and students remains underexplored. This study investigated the relationship between HL levels of parents and teachers and students’ HL, nutritional attitudes, and sports participation. A convenience sample of 952 students, 398 parents, and 275 teachers completed an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed via an independent t-test or chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and Multiple linear regression analysis. 53.47% of students (n = 509), 51.26% of parents (n = 204), and 51.64% of teachers (n = 142) had a high level of HL. The correlation showed no significant relationship between students’ HL, Nutrition Attitude, and Sports participation with parents’ and teachers’ HL (p > 0.005). Also, Linear and logistic regression showed that students’ HL, nutrition attitude, and sports participation remained insignificant compared to parents’ and teachers’ HL after adjustment for all other confounding factors (p > 0.005). Students’ health literacy was associated with various factors, including gender, socioeconomic status, Internet access, nutritional attitudes, and physical activity levels. Students who engage in healthier behaviors, tend to exhibit higher levels of health literacy. Future research should assess health literacy within educational settings to better understand these relationships.