en Health Promotion Health Promotion پژوهشي Original Article <div><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="line-height:115%">Background:</span></b><span style="line-height:115%"> Mental health literacy (MHL) is an important determinant of mental health and influences individuals&rsquo; decisions to seek mental health services. This study aimed to investigate the level of MHL in women referring to health centers in Khodabandeh, Zanjan, Iran.</span></span><br> <span style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="line-height:115%">Methods:</span></b><span style="line-height:115%"> This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022, involving 599 women of reproductive age in Khodabande, Zanjan. The data were collected using the Persian version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale (MHLS) and analyzed using SPSS 23 software. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered.</span></span><br> <span style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="line-height:115%">Results:</span></b><span style="line-height:115%"> The participants&#39; mean age was 30.47 (&plusmn;7.8). The MHL mean score was 81.53 (&plusmn;12.47). There was a statistically significant difference in&nbsp; MHL scores based on marital status, education level, income status, and employment status (P< 0.05), but no significant difference was found based on age (P> 0.05). The main sources of information about mental health were the Internet and social networks, radio and TV programs, and mental health professionals.</span></span><br> <span style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="line-height:115%">Conclusion:</span></b><span style="line-height:115%"> The results of this study showed that the MHL level among the women participating in the study was at a medium level. Therefore, implementing educational intervention programs can effectively improve women&rsquo;s MHL and ultimately improve their access to mental health services.</span></span></span></span></div> Mental health, Health literacy, Health promotion, Women, Iran, 89 95 http://jhehp.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-217-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Rahim Jafari rahimjafari300@gmail.com 100319475328460015780 0009000195610965 No Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Public Health, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Saeedeh Zenoozian zenoozian@yahoo.com 100319475328460015781 0000000254699545 No Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Khadijeh Hajimiri Hajimiri_kh@yahoo.com 100319475328460015782 0000000310649666 Yes Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Public Health, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran; Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.