Cent Eur J Public Health 2025, 33(1):24-29 | DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a8336

Health literacy and socioeconomic characteristics of young people in Serbia and their influence on reproductive health and sexual behaviour

Milena Maričić1, Goran Stojanović1, Zlata Rajković Pavlović2, Jovana Milosavljević3, Melanija Tepavčević3, Kristijan Jovanović3, Nikoleta Janićijević4, Milos Stepović3
1 College of Health Sciences, Academy of Applied Studies Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
2 Department of Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
3 Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
4 Department of Hygiene and Ecology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia

Objectives: Having adequate level of health literacy is a very powerful tool of improving health. "Emerging adulthood" is described as a period between age of 18-25 years, characterized by changing life circumstances, developing personality and exploring possibilities. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between health literacy and socioeconomic status of young adults in Serbia and their individual influence on the reproductive health and sexual behaviour.

Methods: This research was conducted as observational, cross-sectional study. We used STOFHLA to assess the health literacy level of young people and general information questionnaire for demographic, social and economic characteristics of respondents, health knowledge and behaviour in the area of reproductive health. Chi-square test was performed to assess the existence of association between categorical variables using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results: Results of our research found significant connection between levels of health literacy and age groups, marital status, but also connection with living in rural place. Socio-demographic factors and health literacy levels had significant impact on various aspects of sexual behaviour and reproductive health knowledge.

Conclusion: The importance of this research is reflected in its contribution to a clearer understanding of the impact of health literacy and socioeconomic status on the reproductive health of young people in Serbia, with the aim of improving public policies, health interventions and educational programmes, which would contribute to reducing health inequalities, improving health outcomes, and developing targeted educational initiatives.

Klíčová slova: reproductive health, health literacy, socioeconomic status, sexual behaviour, Serbia

Vloženo: 29. červen 2024; Revidováno: 24. únor 2025; Přijato: 24. únor 2025; Zveřejněno: 31. březen 2025  Zobrazit citaci

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Maričić M, Stojanović G, Rajković Pavlović Z, Milosavljević J, Tepavčević M, Jovanović K, et al.. Health literacy and socioeconomic characteristics of young people in Serbia and their influence on reproductive health and sexual behaviour. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2025;33(1):24-29. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a8336.
Sdílet...
Stáhnout citaci
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • PDF bude odemčeno 30.9.2025

    Reference

    1. Ratzan S, Parker R. Introduction. In: Selden CR, Zorn M, Ratzan S, Paerker RM, editors. Health literacy, Current bibliographies in medicine 2000-1. Bethesda: National Library of Medicine; 2000.
    2. Sørensen K, Van den Broucke S, Fullam J, Doyle G, Pelikan J, Slonska Z, et al. Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models. BMC Public Health. 2012 Jan 25;12:80. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-80. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    3. Liu C, Wang D, Liu C, Jiang J, Wang X, Chen H, et al. What is the meaning of health literacy? A systematic review and qualitative synthesis. Fam Med Community Health. 2020 May;8(2):e000351. doi: 10.1136/fmch-2020-000351. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    4. Hernandez LM, rapporteur; Institute of Medicine (US), Roundtable on Health Literacy. Measures of health literacy: workshop summary. Washington: National Academies Press; 2009.
    5. Bröder J, Okan O, Bauer U, Bruland D, Schlupp S, Bollweg TM, et al. Health literacy in childhood and youth: a systematic review of definitions and models. BMC Public Health. 2017 Apr 26;17(1):361. doi: 10.1186/s12889-017-4267-y. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    6. Stassen G, Grieben C, Sauzet O, Froböse I, Schaller A. Health literacy promotion among young adults: a web-based intervention in German vocational schools. Health Educ Res. 2020 Apr 1;35(2):87-98. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    7. Gómez CA, Kleinman DV, Pronk N, Wrenn Gordon GL, Ochiai E, Blakey C, et al. Addressing health equity and social determinants of health through Healthy People 2030. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2021 Nov-Dec;27 Suppl 6:S249-57. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    8. Arnett JJ. Emerging adulthood: a theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. Am Psychol. 2000 May;55(5):469-80. Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
    9. Robins RW, Fraley RC, Roberts BW, Trzesniewski KH. A longitudinal study of personality change in young adulthood. J Pers. 2001 Aug;69(4):617-40. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    10. Beck F, Richard JB, Nguyen-Thanh V, Montagni I, Parizot I, Renahy E. Use of the internet as a health information resource among French young adults: results from a nationally representative survey. J Med Internet Res. 2014 May 13;16(5):e128. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2934. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    11. Ziaei T, Farahmand Rad H, Roshandel G, Aval M. Effect of counseling based on sexual self-concept on the sexual health of women in reproductive age. Glob J Reprod Med. 2018 Mar;3(5):85-90. Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
    12. Stepovic M, Vekic B, Kocic S, Radevic S, Dragojevic Simic V, Radovanovic S, et al. Analysis and forecast of birth related indicators in selected Balkan and Eastern European countries. Iran J Public Health. 2024 Mar;53(3):625-33. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    13. Manwong M, Thongnopakun S, Rodjarkpai Y, Wattanaburanon A, Visanuyothin S. Sexual health literacy and preventive behaviors among middle-school students in a rural area during the COVID-19 situation: a mixed methods study. Health Promot Perspect. 2022 Aug 20;12(2):178-85. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    14. Gökengin D, Noori T, Alemany A, Bienkowski C, Liegon G, İnkaya AÇ, et al. Prevention strategies for sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and viral hepatitis in Europe. Lancet Reg Health Eur. 2023 Oct 26;34:100738. doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100738. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    15. Jovic-Vranes A, Bjegovic-Mikanovic V, Marinkovic J, Kocev N. Health literacy in a population of primary health-care patients in Belgrade, Serbia. Int J Public Health. 2011 Apr;56(2):201-7. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    16. Wilkins NJ, Rasberry C, Liddon N, Szucs LE, Johns M, Leonard S, et al. Addressing HIV/sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy prevention through schools: an approach for strengthening education, health services, and school environments that promote adolescent sexual health and well-being. J Adolesc Health. 2022 Apr;70(4):540-9. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    17. Boku GG, Garoma Abeya S, Ayers N, Abera Wordofa M. The effect of school-linked module-based friendly-health education on adolescents' sexual and reproductive health knowledge, Guji zone, Ethiopia - cluster randomized controlled trial. Adolesc Health Med Ther. 2024 Jan 23;15:5-18. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    18. U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sexually transmitted infections prevalence, incidence, and cost estimates in the United States [Internet]. Atlanta: CDC; 2024 [cited 2024 Jun 14]. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/sti/php/communication-resources/prevalence-incidence-and-cost-estimates.html.
    19. Rogers B, Tao J, Murphy M, Chan PA. The COVID-19 pandemic and sexually transmitted infections: where do we go from here? Sex Transm Dis. 2021 Jul 1;48(7):e94-6. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    20. Beyens I, Pouwels JL, van Driel II, Keijsers L, Valkenburg PM. The effect of social media on well-being differs from adolescent to adolescent. Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 1;10(1):10763. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-67727-7. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    21. Maricic M, Stojanovic G, Pazun V, Stepović M, Djordjevic O, Zivanovic Macuzic I, et al. Relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, reproductive health behaviors, and health literacy of women in Serbia. Front Public Health. 2021 Apr 29;9:629051. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.629051. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    22. Waling A, Kerr L, Fraser S, Bourne A, Carman M. Young people, sexual literacy, and sources of knowledge: a review. ARCSHS Monograph series, no. 119. Bundoora: Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University; 2019.
    23. Elton L, Palmer M, Macdowall W. Birth order and parental and sibling involvement in sex education. A nationally-representative analysis. Sex Educ. 2018 Sep 27;19(2):162-79. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    24. Rabbitte M, Enriquez M. The role of policy on sexual health education in schools: Review. J Sch Nurs. 2019 Feb;35(1):27-38. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    25. Algur E, Wang E, Friedman HS, Deperthes B. A systematic global review of condom availability programs in high schools. J Adolesc Health. 2019 Mar;64(3):292-304. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    26. Davies C, Skinner SR, Stoney T, Marshall HS, Collins J, Jones J, et al. Is it like one of those infectious kind of things? The importance of educating young people about HPV and HPV vaccination at school. Sex Education. 2017;17(3):256-75. Přejít k původnímu zdroji...
    27. Chow EPF, Wigan R, McNulty A. Early sexual experiences of teenage heterosexual males in Australia: a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open. 2017 Oct 15;7(10):e016779. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016779. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    28. Jefferson IS, Robinson SK, Tung-Hahn E, Schumann R, Marrero-Conti S, Walton JM, et al. Assessing and improving the knowledge of sexually transmitted infections among high school adolescents. Dermatol Res Pract. 2021 Apr 9;2021:6696316. doi: 10.1155/2021/6696316. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    29. Mohamed S, Chipeta MG, Kamninga T, Nthakomwa L, Chifungo C, Mzembe T, et al. Interventions to prevent unintended pregnancies among adolescents: a rapid overview of systematic reviews. Syst Rev. 2023 Oct 19;12(1):198. doi: 10.1186/s13643-023-02361-8. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...
    30. Ayamolowo LB, Ayamolowo SJ, Adelakun DO, Adesoji BA. Factors influencing unintended pregnancy and abortion among unmarried young people in Nigeria: a scoping review. BMC Public Health. 2024 Jun 4;24(1):1494. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-19005-8. Přejít k původnímu zdroji... Přejít na PubMed...

    Zpět na obsah