OBJECTIVE: To meta-analytically investigate the cross-sectional association between health literacy (HL) and healthy lifestyle behaviors (HLBs) in the Turkish population. DATA SOURCE: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, DergiPark, TRDizin, and Türkiye Council of Higher Education Thesis Center. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Not accessible in Turkish or English in full text
not on the Turkish population
addressed e-HL, digital HL, mobile HL or corporate HL
addressed HL in a specific context
did not seek any association between HL and HLBs. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Cross-sectional studies that reported a correlation coefficient or any convertible equal statistical measure for the association between HL and HLBs. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently screened the articles, extracted the data from the included studies into a structured form and assessed their methodological quality. DATA SYNTHESIS: We conducted meta-analyses and reported the characteristics, outcomes, and quality assessment of studies. RESULTS: Of 3833 records accessed we included 52 that fulfilled the eligibility criteria. Our primary findings demonstrated positive low-to-moderate associations between HL and health-promoting behaviors (r = .32 [CI:.30-.35
I CONCLUSION: HL has the potential to improve the HLBs of Turkish individuals, however, there is a need for better understanding of the possible underlying determinants of the association between them.