Abstract
Background: The World Health Organization considered health literacy as one of the most important determinant factors to promote various aspects of public health. Low health literacy can contribute to increased rates of hospitalization, reduced rates of medication adherence, decreased capacity to manage chronic diseases and increased the rate of emergency department visit. Objective: To evaluate the degree of health literacy among the sample, and to examine the relation between age and education level of the participants and health literacy level. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted, by using an Arabic version of SAHL scale. Data were collected between November 2015 to December 2015 with 105 females in outpatient clinics. Result: The selected females in outpatient clinics have adequate health literacy levels, with a mean score (15.13 +/- 1.856). Moreover, there is no relation between the level of health literacy with age and education level of the participants. Conclusion: This study provides knowledge that can be applied to evolve schemes to encourage the health literacy level among females in Saudi Arabia.