Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Cogent Medicine
Publication Date
2017
Volume
4
First Page
1275091
Publisher
Cogent OA
Keywords
health literacy, street youth, poor and vulnerable, health promotion, Ghana
Abstract
Street youth often have poor health. A number of studies have been commissioned across contexts to appreciate and address the problem. Conspicuously missing from extant researches about street youth in relation to their health however are those relating to health literacy. This study assesses general health literacy (GHL) and its association with self-perceived health status among street youth in Kumasi, Ghana. Two hundred and ninety street youth with an average age of 18 years (±3.1) participated in the study. The majority (78%) of street youth demonstrated limited GHL. Age, education, and acknowledging the streets as home, were significantly associated with GHL. Being an adult (β = −0.32, p < 0.01), being female (β = 0.26, p < 0.05), living on the streets for more than 3 years (β = 0.29, p < 0.05), and acknowledging the streets as home (β = 0.254, p < 0.05) significantly predicted limited GHL. Inadequate GHL (β = −0.50, p < 0.01) and problematic GHL (β = −0.39, p < 0.01) were inversely associated with self-perceived health status after adjusting for a number of sociodemographic variables. General health literacy is thus essential for improving the health status of this group of urban poor and should be duly recognised and systematically applied in a bid to ameliorate the health-related wellbeing of street youth.
DOI
10.1080/2331205X.2016.1275091
E-ISSN
2331205X
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Amoah, P. A., Phillips, D. R., Gyasi, R. M., Koduah, A. O., & Edusei, J. (2017). Health literacy and self-perceived health status among street youth in Kumasi, Ghana. Cogent Medicine, 4, 1275091. doi: 10.1080/2331205X.2016.1275091