Reproductive health literacy status and associated factors among adolescents in three high schools of Boke district, West Harerghe, Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Health literacy refers to personal competencies for the access to, understanding of, appraisal of and application of health information in order to make sound decisions in everyday life. Adolescents are at crucial stage of development characterized by many physical, emotional and cognitive changes. These changes make adolescence an appropriate time to begin thinking about health literacy interventions, and improving health literacy at an early age has a direct impact on health literacy later in life as adolescents are acquiring knowledge and setting behavior patterns they will carry with them as they transition into adulthood.