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Health Asset Profile and Health Literacy Among Elementary School-Aged Children

*Nunung Siti Sukaesih orcid scopus  -  Nursing Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Popi Sopiah orcid  -  Nursing Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Emi Lindayani orcid  -  Nursing Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Hikmat Pramajati orcid  -  Nursing Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Dedah Ningrum orcid  -  Nursing Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Sri Wulan Lindasari orcid  -  Nursing Department, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Indonesia
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 by the Authors, Published by Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Diponegoro
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Background: Accidents, violent behavior, mental health issues, drug misuse, and smoking are among the most serious health problems affecting school-aged children, and they are closely linked to their health behaviors. These behaviors are significantly influenced by literacy skills at this age, yet they often do not receive sufficient attention from the government for this age group.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of health literacy in elementary school-aged children.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used various research instruments, including the Family Affluence Scale (FAS III), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Health Behaviors in School-Aged Children (HBSC), European Health Literacy Scale (HLS-EU), and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Data were self-reported by participants, along with BMI measurements. A cluster sampling approach was used to recruit 431 sixth-grade students from the Sumedang district. The Chi-square test was employed for statistical analysis.

Results: The research findings showed variation in values across the assessed sub-categories. Correlation analysis between functional health literacy and the health asset profile sub-variables revealed significant relationships with self-esteem (p < 0.001), student behavior (p = 0.010), waking habits (p < 0.001), and smoking habits (p < 0.001). However, functional health literacy was not significantly associated with family affluence (p = 0.868), BMI (p = 0.809), physical activity (p = 0.087), or sleeping habits (p = 0.092).

Conclusion: The study found significant gender disparities in health-related variables, including self-esteem, nutritional status, physical activity, waking habits, and smoking behaviors, suggesting that gender may influence health literacy and related behaviors among elementary school-aged children.

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Keywords: Adolescent; elementary school; health asset profile; health literacy; school-age
Funding: Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia

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