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Aim: The aim of this study was to determine whether implementation of a healthy lifestyle education programme resulted in improved health literacy levels and healthy life style behaviours. Methods: A one‐group pretest‐posttest study design was used. This study was carried out with 30 women who were enrolled in a family health centre. A questionnaire comprising the Adult Health Literacy Scale, Healthy Lifestyle Behaviour Scale‐II, Perception of Health Scale, and Short Test of Functional Health Literacy was used for data collection. Eight home visits including training and follow‐up followed the first interview at the family health centre. The healthy lifestyle training was applied once per week during home visits. After the training sessions were completed, women were followed‐up through four home visits biweekly in the second and the third months. Results: The difference between the Adult Health Literacy Scale and Short Test of Functional Health Literacy pretest‐posttest mean scores was statistically significant (P <.05). Although the Perception of Health Scale and the Healthy Lifestyle Behaviour Scale‐II posttest scores were higher than the pretest scores, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The training and counselling intervention visits increased health literacy but did not significantly change the healthy life style behaviours and health perceptions of the women. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Health literacy is an essential issue to consider in planning programmes to decrease inequalities and increase health promotion in disadvantaged groups.Women are one disadvantaged group who play a key role in protecting and promoting the health of both their society and their family. What this paper adds? Unlike many studies with disease‐specific samples, this was a community‐based study, conducted with community‐dwelling women without any co‐morbidity, using both national and global measurement tools.The health literacy levels of the women was increased via a training and counselling intervention delivered during home visits by public health nurses.The intervention did not have a significant effect on women's healthy life styles and health perceptions. The implications of this paper: The findings of our study indicate that public health nurses as educators and counsellors can impact health literacy levels of women.Public health nurses can improve women's health literacy by empowering women. More health literate women means more healthy generations, families, and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this randomised controlled study was to determine the effect of Health Belief Model (HBM)‐based health education programme in late adolescent period on coping with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Methods: Thirty women both in the intervention and control groups were included. The HBM‐based education programme was applied to cope with PMS. The intervention and control groups were followed up for three cycles in terms of PMS symptoms. The data were collected by a questionnaire and the Premenstrual Syndrome Scale. Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the pre‐test mean scores and the first, second and third follow‐up mean scores; and between the first follow‐up mean score and the second and the third follow‐up mean scores in the repeated measurements of the intervention group (p <.05). The mean scores of the intervention group were found to be significantly lower than the control group in the second and third follow‐ups (p <.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, HBM‐based health education was effective for coping with PMS. It is recommended for dealing with PMS to use HBM‐based education programmes, to motivate the students for life style changes, and to identify the obstacles and the benefits perceived about PMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]