Abstract

Background: Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for chronic diseases in the world and its use is growing rapidly among the adolescents and youth. Health literacy is one of the major personal abilities in order to acquire, interpret and understand health information to prevent and control health problems. This study aimed to determine the association between health literacy and smoking among the young men in Sirjan, Iran. Methods: The present study was a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study done on 200 males aged 18-24 selected by stratified random sampling. Demographic and health literacy questionnaires were used for data collection. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18 and by chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 20.7 +/- 2.4 years, 38 did not smoke, 16 used cigarettes and 46 used hookah. Only 16 of those who used hookah had adequate health literacy. All variables except father's occupation and residence showed a significant correlation with health literacy. Based on logistic regression, there was a significant association between smoking and health literacy and its constructs (accessing, reading skill, perception, evaluation, and usage). Conclusion: The findings indicate that young men in Sirjan have inadequate health literacy about the dangers of smoking. Therefore, proper education based on the health education model is recommended to enhance health literacy and promote healthy behaviors.