Health literacy and influencing factors in university students across diverse educational fields in Kazakhstan.

Comprehensive examinations of health literacy (HL) among students in Kazakhstan are lacking. The existing literature from adult populations in Kazakhstan suggests associations between higher HL and socioeconomic and demographic factors. The HLS19-Q12 tool was used in this study to assess the HL level of 3230 students with various backgrounds. A multivariate linear regression model was used to define determinants of HL. The mean HL score for the total sample was 85.86 ± 18.67 out of 100, which indicates "excellent" level of HL. The highest HL score was in students of Health Sciences field (88.22 ± 17.53), whereas mean HL score in students of Engineering field of study was 83.27 ± 20.07, and it was 86.13 ± 18.11 for the Humanities and Social sciences field of study. The factors negatively associated with HL were region of origin, health information searching, lack of basic life support skills, smoking, self-assessment of health as bad, and missing study days. Students who smoked and used tobacco for 6 days per week had a significantly lower HL. Interaction analysis showed positive three-way interaction for male students over 19 years studying in Engineering field. Socioeconomic factors, regional disparities, and health behaviors significantly influenced HL, with lower scores observed among students from the West region, rural areas, and those with unhealthy behaviors or low socioeconomic status. The following factors were positively associated with HL in this study: field of education, affordability of medical examination and treatment, social connections and support, age, and social status. This study will allow future research and youth health promotion programs to make decisions based on the field of study and the factors that negatively and positively influence HL.