The Role of Health Literacy in Preventing Adolescent Anemia

¹ Doctoral of Development Extension and Community Empowerment, Postgraduate School Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
² Department of Public Health Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
³ Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, Faculty of Agriculture, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: endangsutisna@staff.uns.ac.id

Abstract

Anemia is one of the most common health problems among adolescent girls in Indonesia. This condition affects their quality of life as well as academic and social functioning. A lack of health literacy about anemia can hinder effective prevention and treatment efforts, thereby increasing the risk of long-term complications. Therefore, enhancing health literacy regarding anemia in adolescent girls is essential to support effective prevention and treatment. This literature study used the keywords “health literacy”, “anemia”, and “ adolescents” to search the Google Scholar databases. The search applied criteria from the last 10 years, covering both English and Indonesian publications, and included original research and systematic reviews. Ten articles that met the inclusion criteria were obtained. The analysis revealed that a lack of knowledge and understanding about anemia contributes to its prevalence among adolescents. Health literacy plays a crucial role in prevention, as it enables adolescents to understand the causes, effects, and management of anemia. Adolescents with good health literacy can choose nutritious foods, adhere to iron supplementation regimens, and avoid habits that inhibit iron absorption. Increasing adolescent knowledge can be enhanced through health literacy interventions, such as counseling, nutrition education, and the use of mHealth applications. These initiatives can effectively support behavior change and facilitate the implementation of anemia prevention strategies.