transport Physical activity

Background: Promoting health literacy (HL) at an early age is a key intervention strategy to reduce disease burden and health disparities. Active transport on the other hand involves a form of physical activity for everyday transportation either by walking or cycling. With the benefits of physical activity, leading a physically active life and avoiding long episodes of sedentary behavior, can help prevent non-specific health complaints and improve overall well-being among adolescents. Both HL and active transport are important determinants of health however studies on their relationship are limited. Aim: This study aimed to influence of health literacy on active transport among secondary school students in Benin City, Edo State. Method: This study utilized a cross-sectional study design. A total of 354 students were recruited from 11 secondary schools across Egor local government area, Benin City. The association between health literacy and active transport was determined by linear or logistics regression models. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. All analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics for windows version 24. Results: 331 (93.5%) of the respondents had inadequate level of health literacy. A total of 153 (43.2%) of the respondents engage in active transport with 86 (24.3%) commuting on foot and 67 (18.9%) on bicycle. There was no significant influence of health literacy on active transport. Conclusion: This study found that secondary school students in Benin City spend little time on active transportation and possess an inadequate level of health literacy, but has a high frequency of active transportation. Health literacy does not influence time spent using active transport among secondary school students in Benin-City. Keywords: Health literacy, active transport, secondary school, students