Health Literacy and Association with Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Behaviors Among Female High School Students in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand

Abstract

This survey research aimed to investigate health literacy and its relationship with pregnancy prevention behaviors among female high school students in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. The sample consisted of 1,764 female students from both public and private educational institutions during the academic year 2024. Data were collected between May to August 2024 using the health literacy assessment tool for Thai female adolescents aged 15–21 years, developed by the Department of Health Service Support, Ministry of Public Health. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation and independent t-tests.

The results showed that 61.85% of participants had an adequate level of health literacy related to pregnancy prevention. The highest scoring component was accurate health knowledge and understanding (48.13%), followed by decision-making ability (89.74%), access to health information and services (50.40%), communication to enhance health skills (55.56%), self-management of health conditions (36.68%), and media and information literacy (48.87%). Health literacy was positively and significantly correlated with preventive behaviors against teenage pregnancy (r = 0.82), with particularly strong correlations found in health knowledge and understanding (r = 0.80) and media literacy (r = 0.76). No significant differences in health literacy or preventive behaviors were observed between students from public and private schools. This study indicates that health literacy plays a crucial role in promoting preventive behaviors against adolescent pregnancy.