Objective: To compare the effect of two different methods of "3-PR" participatory health education and traditional distribution of publicity materials on health literacy improvement of medical students, to provide a reference for making more effective measure to improve health literacy. Methods: 173 Second-grade students in nursing major were selected in a secondary vocational school in Datong City. Two different intervention methods were used to intervene for 8 weeks. The experimental group (92 students) received "3-PR" participatory health education; the traditional health education intervention in the control group(81 students). The "National Residents’ Health Literacy Monitoring Questionnaire 2015" was used to conduct a questionnaire survey on the experimental group and the control group before and after the intervention, and to compare the effects before and after the intervention. Results: The average score of health literacy was (36.04±9.43) points and (36.01±10.17) points before and after intervention in the control group; (35.78±8.91) points and (49.53±13.53) points before and after intervention in the experimental group; No statistical difference between experimental and control group was found before intervention(t=0.18, P=0.86); There was no significant difference in health literacy score before and after intervention for the control group(t=0.03, P=0.98); Health literacy significantly increased in the experimental group after intervention(t=-11.36, P=0.00). Adequate health literacy accounted for 3.70% and 4.94% before and after intervention in the control group and 4.35% and 45.65% in the experimental group before and after intervention. No significant difference was found in adequate health literacy proportion between the two groups before intervention(χ2=0.00, P=1.00). However, the difference showed statistically significant after intervention(χ2=36.58, P=0.00). The change of health literacy score in the control group and the experimental group was (-0.02±7.52) and (12.75±10.77), respectively, accounting for 1.24% decrement and 41.30% increment. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (t=-8.93, P=0.00). The dimension-and type-specific score of health literacy showed similar pattern. Conclusion The "3-PR" participatory health education model is more effective than the traditional health education method in improving health literacy, and it could be carried out by multi-disciplinary students.