investigating the relationship between health literacy and health-promoting behaviors: a cross-sectional study among the iranian elderly population

Background: statistics predict an explosive rising figure in the elderly population in iran. therefore, it is considered a major health-related challenge in the coming decades. the purpose of the present study was to detect the relationships between health literacy and health-promoting behaviors among iranian elderly people. methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted among 402 iranian elderly in 2020, who were enrolled using a convenience sampling method. the subjects' health literacy and health-promoting behavior were separately measured with standard instruments. descriptive statistics and pearson correlation coefficient were used for data analysis (p<0.05). results: most respondents were female (56.22%, n=226). the means±standard deviations of total health literacy and health-promoting behaviors were 60.14±15.45 and 115.4±14.07, respectively. there was a positive significant relationship between health literacy and health-promoting behavior (r=0.53, p<0.001). responsibility toward health had the highest correlation with health literacy (r=0.60, p<0.001). conclusion: according to these findings, it is necessary to increase and maintain health literacy at high levels to improve health behavior among the iranian elderly.