Health literacy, health-seeking behavior, and wellbeing among university students: insights into determinants of young adults’ health

Objective This study aims to investigate the associations among university students’ health literacy, health-seeking behaviors, and overall wellbeing. Materials and method This descriptive study, grounded in a quantitative research design, was conducted among undergraduate students enrolled at a foundation university in Istanbul, Türkiye, between April and May 2024. A total of 219 students who were reached online through Google Forms and voluntarily consented to participate constituted the study sample. Data were collected using four instruments: the Personal Information Form , the European Health Literacy Scale , the Health-Seeking Behavior Scale , and the PERMA Wellbeing Scale . Results Among the participants, 30.1% demonstrated inadequate health literacy, 38.8% had problematic health literacy, 23.7% had adequate health literacy, and 7.3% exhibited excellent health literacy. The mean score for health-seeking behavior was 2.60 ± 0.51, and the mean PERMA wellbeing score was 6.92 ± 1.53. A moderate negative correlation was identified between health literacy and health-seeking behavior, while a weak negative correlation was found between health-seeking behavior and PERMA wellbeing. Although the correlation between health literacy and wellbeing was not statistically significant, students with adequate health literacy reported higher wellbeing scores than those with problematic levels. Regression analysis revealed that higher levels of health-seeking behavior were a negative predictor of wellbeing, whereas health literacy did not significantly predict wellbeing. Conclusion The results suggest that a substantial proportion of university students demonstrate inadequate or problematic health literacy. Although greater engagement in health-seeking behaviors may be associated with lower wellbeing, the higher wellbeing scores observed among students with adequate health literacy underscore the importance of comprehensive health education and targeted support interventions. Universities are encouraged to develop and implement programs aimed at improving health literacy, ensuring access to credible digital health resources, and reinforcing social support networks to promote overall student wellbeing.