Objective: Health literacy is a determinant of health, but disparities in health literacy persist. This study examined the influence of ecological factors on college students' health literacy.
Participants: During January 2016 a nonrandom sample of black undergraduate students (n = 298) aged 18-24 were recruited from enrollment lists at two urban universities in the Southeastern United States.
Methods: Information on health literacy as well as numerous intrapersonal, social, and cultural-environment factors was obtained using an electronic questionnaire and then statistically modeled.
Results: Ecological factors accounted for 28.7% of the variance in health literacy. In particular, reappraisal (B = 0.323, p < .001), suppression (B = -0.289, p < .001), campus health education (B = 0.192, p < .05), campus tobacco culture (B = -0.174, p < .05), and perceived norms (B = -0.153, p < .05) directly predicted health literacy.
Conclusions: Although intrapersonal factors influence health literacy, the sociocultural environment of college can also foster or hinder college students' health literacy.
Keywords: College students; ecological influences; health literacy; sociocultural environment.