Aim: Health literacy is an important public health indicator that encompasses an individual’s ability to understand and evaluate medical information and to exhibit appropriate behaviors accordingly. Inadequate health literacy significantly increases the burden of chronic diseases and health expenditures in the community. This study aimed to investigate the level of health literacy among adults applying to family medicine outpatient clinics of a university and to determine its relationship with the factors affecting it.

Method: The universe of our cross-sectional study consists of individuals aged 18 and over who consecutively applied to our units over a six-month period. Data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of 42 questions and the Health Literacy Scale-Short Form (HLS-SF) consisting of 12 questions. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 25.0 software package.

Results: Our study was conducted with 247 participants, 50.2% (s=124) of whom were women. The mean index score of the participants was 31.42±7.99. When the total scores obtained from the HLS-SF were compared with sociodemographic variables, health literacy was found to be significantly higher in individuals who were under 45 years of age, who did not have children, who lived in urban areas, who had 12 years or more of education, and whose income was higher than their expenses. Health literacy level was found to be higher in individuals who did not have chronic diseases, who had adult vaccination, who read the package inserts of the medicines they used.

Conclusion: The findings of the study show that health literacy plays a determining role in individuals’ health behaviors and disease management. In order to strengthen the health of the society and ensure health promotion, the factors affecting the level of health literacy should be taken into consideration and studies should be planned accordingly.