the relationship between health literacy and body mass index among female adolescent: a cross-sectional study

Background and objective: health literacy (hl) is a key determinant of health-related behaviors and may play a crucial role in preventing obesity. this study investigates to determine body mass index (bmi) status of female adolescent and its association with hl.materials and methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted among 1117 female adolescents aged 12-17 in schools of tabriz, iran in 2022. sampling method was multi-stage clustered random sampling. hl was assessed using the helma questionnaire, and bmi was calculated using height and weight measurements. data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis by spss software version 16. the level of significance was considered <0.05.results: the mean hl score was 165.42 (26.42) (range score: 44-205), indicating relatively adequate level of hl. however, 24.2% of the participants had inadequate or insufficient hl. 18.4% of students were overweight and 6.3% were obese. univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, father’s education, mother’s education and hl were significantly associated with obesity/overweight in girls (p<0.2). in the multivariable logistic regression model, girls with inadequate hl had 1.87 times higher odds of obesity/overweight compared to those with excellent hl (p=0.04, or=1.87, 95% ci: 1.12-3.14).conclusion: this study found a significant negative association between hl and bmi among female adolescents. interventions to improve hl can be considered as an effective strategy for preventing obesity and overweight in this population group.