Investigation of Health Literacy Levels Among University Students Regarding Risk Awareness and Protection in Infectious Diseases

Abstract Background: The health literacy level of university students plays a critical role in their awareness of infectious diseases and their prevention Objective: Th is study aimed to investigate the level of risk awareness of university students about infectious diseases and their health literacy status on the subject of protection. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 750 students from a state university in Turkey, surveyed via Google Forms. Statistical analyses included Mann Whitney U test for non-normally distributed variables, Kruskal Wallis H test for group comparisons, and Dunn test for post-hoc analyses (p<0.05 considered significant). Results: 750 university students participated in this study. 79.2% of the participants in the research are women, 95.9% are in the 18-30 age group. Of the whole sample, 77.5% were studying in a department related to healthcare. When comparing CDRAPS scores by gender, it was determined that female students' common life risk awareness, self-protection awareness, and personal infection awareness subscale scores were significantly higher than male students (p=0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). In the comparison of CDRAPS scores according to place of residence, the average CDRAPS scale score of students living in the village, protection behaviors, and hand washing behaviors were found to be significantly lower than those living in the district and city center (p=0.017, p=0.013). When CPRADS scores are compared according to departments, the average score of the CPRADS scale in the dimension of protection behaviors of students studying in the field of health is higher than that of education faculty students. In the social protection awareness dimension, it is higher than students studying in other departments (p=0.042, p=0.026, respectively). Conclusion: Students in health-related fields demonstrated higher CDRAPS average scores. Introducing health courses in non-health departments could benefit both individuals and society. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2025; 39(1)] Keywords: Health literacy, infectious disease, university students, Türkiye