Navigating Healthcare in Young Adulthood: An Orthopedic Perspective on a Cross-Sectional Survey

Background Young adults increasingly navigate health insurance and clinical care independently. Distinguishing health-literacy needs from access barriers may be relevant to orthopedic education, follow-up, and rehabilitation, but their relationship in young adults remains uncertain. Methods We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional online survey of 100 U.S. adults aged 18-25 years. Survey items assessed healthcare access, health literacy, insurance knowledge, confidence navigating care, and common access barriers. Composite access and literacy scores were calculated, and Pearson correlation was used to evaluate their relationship. Weighted descriptive comparisons were examined across household-income and education groups. Results Health literacy and healthcare access were not significantly correlated (r = -0.12, p = 0.23). Access scores were descriptively higher among participants in the highest household-income category and among those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, whereas literacy scores varied less across these groups. Mean access scores were also similar among participants with lower versus higher confidence in understanding healthcare information (3.0 vs 2.8). Conclusions This exploratory survey did not detect a significant correlation between health literacy and healthcare access. For orthopedic practice, the findings suggest evaluating comprehension of care plans and practical barriers to obtaining care as complementary concerns. The general-population sample does not establish an orthopedic-specific association; confirmation using validated measures in orthopedic cohorts is needed.