Health literacy and student health with special consideration to pre-service teachers

Background Approximately half of students in universities exhibit limited health literacy (HL). To date, however, pre-service teachers (PST, university students majoring in education) are rarely addressed in studies of HL. Therefore in the context of prevention and health promotion, this appears to be a significant topic for teacher education. Objectives To assess, compare, correlate and their analysis related to the extended skills of HL and general health status of PST and non-teaching students (NTS). Materials and methods A total of 303 master's students (PST = 195/ NTS = 108) participated in the online survey, which used questionnaires to assess HL (according to Lenartz) and general health status (according to WHO). Static analysis took into consideration t-tests, product-moment correlations, and multivariate regression analyses. Results PST, with the exception of taking responsibility, have significantly higher scores in the remaining skills of the HL compared with NTS. The lowest proficiencies in both groups are in self-regulation (SR) and communication and cooperation (CUC) skills. PST and NTS do not differ significantly in terms of general health status. Almost every third student shows a poor general health status. In terms of correlations, the ability to SR takes a pre-eminent role and is statistically the strongest predictor. Conclusions The results highlight the importance of HL for general health status. Interventions can be derived to promote the ability to SR and CUC. In the university setting, framework conditions should be created that enable the early and steady promotion of HL for students, among other things because future teachers have important multiplier functions.