Health Education Classes Research Articles

Effect of a context-specific health education intervention on knowledge of health risk behaviors among adolescents in Nigerian public and private secondary schools: a comparative study.

Health education programmes that utilizes multicomponent classroom teaching strategies have the potential to enhance knowledge, attitudes, and actions of adolescents concerning health risk behaviors (HRBs). This study assessed the effect of a school-based context-specific health education intervention (CsHEI) on knowledge of HRBs among in-school adolescents in public- and private-owned secondary schools in Nigeria. In-school adolescents were recruited into this quasi-experimental study using stratified random sampling from secondary schools in Ile-Ife, Osun-State, Nigeria. Knowledge of HRBs was assessed pre- and post-implementation of a CsHEI. The intervention was a four-week instructor-led health education class on HRBs, delivered over a 2-h class activity per week. Data was summarized using descriptive statistics as well as Inferential statistics. With a mean age of 14.9 ± 1.56 years, a total of 145 females (54.3 %) and 122 males (45.7 %) participated in this study. Over 70 % of the participants had good knowledge of HRBs prior to the intervention with the pre-test mean general knowledge of HRB (t=-3.13, p=0.002) and knowledge of personal safety (t=-2.99, p=0.003) being significantly lower between students in public-schools compared to their private-school counterparts. Post-intervention, a significant improvement in participants' knowledge was observed in all HRB domains with over 90 % of participants having a good knowledge of HRBs. The CsHEI improved knowledge of in-school adolescents in public- and private-owned secondary schools in Osun state, Nigeria in all domains of HRBs. Integrating the CsHEI with other health behavioral change strategies can mitigate prevalence of HRBs among adolescents, thereby improving health-outcomes and well-being of adolescents.

Effects of volume-matched once-weekly and thrice-weekly high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on body adiposity in adults with central obesity: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the comparative effects of 75 min of volume-matched once-weekly and thrice-weekly high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on body adiposity in adults with central obesity. MethodsThis assessor-blinded, three-arm, randomized controlled trial will recruit 315 physically inactive adults with central obesity (aged ≥18 years, body mass index ≥23, waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women). Participants will be randomly allocated to the once-weekly HIIT, thrice-weekly HIIT or usual care control group. Participants in the HIIT groups will receive weekly exercise training sessions for 16 weeks, prescribed either once or three times weekly. Each HIIT session will consist of a supervised program of four 4-min high-intensity intervals at 85%–95% peak heart rate (HRpeak) interspersed with 3-min active recovery intervals at 50%–70% HRpeak. Participants in the once-weekly HIIT group will perform the 25-min HIIT bout three times with a break between each 25-min HIIT bout. The usual care control group will receive bi-weekly health education classes. The outcome assessments will be conducted at baseline, 16 weeks (post-intervention) and 32 weeks (follow-up). The primary outcome will be total body adiposity assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The secondary outcome measures will include markers of cardiovascular and metabolic health (body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, blood pressure, and blood lipids), mental health, cognitive performance, health-related quality of life, sleep quality, habitual physical activity, diet, medication, adverse events and adherence to the intervention. Impact of the projectThe findings from this study are expected to consolidate the therapeutic efficacy of HIIT for the management of central obesity and inform the comparative compliance, feasibility and suitability of once-weekly and thrice-weekly HIIT as exercise strategies to manage obesity. In particular, the present study is expected to provide a novel perspective on the utility of low-frequency HIIT (i.e., once-weekly) as an effective and sustainable exercise strategy to tackle the obesity pandemic. The anticipated findings will hold substantial translational value by informing public health policies and enhancing exercise compliance in the physically inactive obese population. Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04887454).

Oral health knowledge, literacy and behavior of pregnant women: a qualitative study in a northeastern province of Thailand

BackgroundPregnancy is a unique period of women’s lives, and oral health is an important public health indicator during this period. Pregnant women have increased vulnerability to oral health problems. The study aimed to describe oral health knowledge, literacy and behavior of pregnant women in a northeastern province of Thailand.MethodsA descriptive study was used. Twenty pregnant women who attended antenatal care clinics of eight public hospitals in the province were recruited by use of purposive sampling. They participated voluntarily in individual interview. The Health Belief Model was used as conception framework. All data were transcribed and subjected to content analysis.ResultsFive categories emerged: Misbelief and lack of knowledge, Oral health problems and dental care seeking, Oral health information from different persons, Self-care management of oral health, and Fear of and anxiety towards dental treatment. The findings showed that low knowledge of need for treatment, little importance to oral health and low priority of dental needs affect the demand for dental care. Fear of and anxiety towards dental treatment were the results of negative past experiences of neglecting dental care. Some women perceived health benefits of practicing self-care of oral health during pregnancy.ConclusionThe findings help to better understand the oral health issues of pregnant women and provide baseline information for oral health promotion. Such promotion and culturally appropriate care should be integrated in maternal health education classes.

Students' Knowledge about HIV and their attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS in the Czech Republic: analysis of the school environment and recommendations for prevention.

The main objective of the questionnaire survey conducted by the National Institute of Public Health in Prague was to determine the level of knowledge and attitudes and to identify changes since the previous survey in 2015. A secondary objective was to gather more detailed information on how HIV/AIDS topics are taught in schools, as reported by school prevention coordinators. The questionnaire was distributed to 48 randomly selected educational institutions and the humanitarian organization MRIYA UA z.s. between October 2022 and January 2023. Data on 21 questions focusing on HIV/AIDS issues were collected anonymously from Czech and Ukrainian students. The survey included a representative sample of students from the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades in primary schools and multi-year grammar schools. Each institution received a questionnaire for the prevention coordinator, who answered 12 questions. A total of 3,011 students completed the questionnaire. The average score for HIV/AIDS knowledge was 13.5 points out of a maximum of 22 points. Students' knowledge gradually increased with higher grades: students from multi-year grammar schools scored an average of 15.9 points, while primary school students scored an average of 13.2 points. Czech students scored an average of 13.6 points, whereas Ukrainian students scored an average of 12.4 points; the 1.2-point difference was statistically significant (p = 0.004). Compared to the 2015 survey, there was a slight overall decline in adolescents' knowledge levels. Students' attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS positively correlated with their knowledge about HIV/AIDS: the better their knowledge, the more favourable their attitudes toward people living with HIV/AIDS. Students' main sources of information about HIV/AIDS were school (37.1%) and the Internet (36.6%). According to school prevention coordinators, 95.7% of the surveyed schools address the topic of HIV/AIDS, most commonly in biology or health education classes, dedicating an average of 8.7 instructional hours to the subject. The most frequent teaching method is video lessons, used by 87.2% of the surveyed schools. Schools expressed a preference for improving the quality of education by utilizing presentations with professionally approved content, with 74.5% of schools supporting this option. The survey highlighted a gradual increase in HIV/AIDS knowledge with advancing school grades, a significant disparity in knowledge between Czech and Ukrainian students, and a slight overall decline in knowledge compared to 2015. The Internet and schools were the main information sources, though the role of schools declined significantly. It also underscored the need for enhanced educational programmes and continuous professional development for educators to improve health literacy and HIV/AIDS prevention among adolescents.

The Health4Life e-health intervention for modifying lifestyle risk behaviours of adolescents: secondary outcomes of a cluster randomised controlled trial.

To investigate the effectiveness of a school-based multiple health behaviour change e-health intervention for modifying risk factors for chronic disease (secondary outcomes). Cluster randomised controlled trial. Students (at baseline [2019]: year 7, 11-14 years old) at 71 Australian public, independent, and Catholic schools. Health4Life: an e-health school-based multiple health behaviour change intervention for reducing increases in the six major behavioural risk factors for chronic disease: physical inactivity, poor diet, excessive recreational screen time, poor sleep, and use of alcohol and tobacco. It comprises six online video modules during health education class and a smartphone app. Comparison of Health4Life and usual health education with respect to their impact on changes in twelve secondary outcomes related to the six behavioural risk factors, assessed in surveys at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 12 and 24 months after the intervention: binge drinking, discretionary food consumption risk, inadequate fruit and vegetable intake, difficulty falling asleep, and light physical activity frequency (categorical); tobacco smoking frequency, alcohol drinking frequency, alcohol-related harm, daytime sleepiness, and time spent watching television and using electronic devices (continuous). A total of 6640 year 7 students completed the baseline survey (Health4Life: 3610; control: 3030); 6454 (97.2%) completed at least one follow-up survey, 5698 (85.8%) two or more follow-up surveys. Health4Life was not statistically more effective than usual school health education for influencing changes in any of the twelve outcomes over 24 months; for example: fruit intake inadequate: odds ratio [OR], 1.08 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-2.05); vegetable intake inadequate: OR, 0.97 (95% CI, 0.64-1.47); increased light physical activity: OR, 1.00 (95% CI, 0.72-1.38); tobacco use frequency: relative difference, 0.03 (95% CI, -0.58 to 0.64) days per 30 days; alcohol use frequency: relative difference, -0.34 (95% CI, -1.16 to 0.49) days per 30 days; device use time: relative difference, -0.07 (95% CI, -0.29 to 0.16) hours per day. Health4Life was not more effective than usual school year 7 health education for modifying adolescent risk factors for chronic disease. Future e-health multiple health behaviour change intervention research should examine the timing and length of the intervention, as well as increasing the number of engagement strategies (eg, goal setting) during the intervention. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12619000431123 (prospective).

Pre-service nurses’ experiences of simulated health education classes: A phenomenological study

With the growing demand for health education, enhancing nurses' ability to deliver such education is vital. This phenomenological qualitative study, employing convenience sampling, investigates pre-service nurses' experiences in simulated health education classes. The study included 32 fourth-year pre-service nurses from the Department of Nursing at a South Korean university. Between April 20 and June 30, 2022, these participants documented their perceptions of the simulated classes in self-reflection journals. The researcher utilized the phenomenological research method as proposed by Colaizzi (1978) to analyze the data. The findings suggest that simulated health education classes offer an opportunity to bolster pre-service nurses’ practical knowledge, fostering their growth as nursing educators. The pre-service nurses reported gaining confidence in their roles as educators and enhancing their professionalism through these simulated classes. Therefore, as public health promotion becomes increasingly crucial and the demand for health education rises, simulated health education classes serve as a valuable adjunct to teaching methods in health education.

Evaluation of a school intervention to improve adherence to the Mediterranean Diet

Objective: To evaluate the effects of a nutrition education programme conducted during health education lessons on students’ adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD) and their body mass index (BMI). Design: Quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test research design: two study conditions (intervention and control groups). Setting: Two urban schools, the 11th and 21st primary schools in Limassol, Cyprus. Method: Two hundred and thirty-five fifth- and sixth-grade students participated in the programme. One hundred and fifteen were in the intervention group school (the 11th primary school), and 120 were in the control group school (the 21st primary school). Students in the intervention school participated in nine 80-minute lessons during the health education class. The curriculum focused on the MD and included cooking activities, food tasting and parental involvement. The primary outcomes were subsequent adherence to the MD, nutritional knowledge, self-efficacy physical activity and BMI. Results: Following the implementation of the intervention, the intervention group showed a significant increase in nutritional knowledge, self-efficacy and adherence to the MD ( p < .001). The intervention group also had significantly higher nutritional knowledge and MD Quality Index scores than the control group ( p < .001). However, no effect was observed on children’s BMI ( p > .05). Conclusion: The intervention successfully improved children’s dietary habits in the intervention group by increasing adherence to the MD, but it did not affect their BMI. The results show some promise for addressing poor nutrition through education.

Empowered Relief, cognitive behavioral therapy, and health education for people with chronic pain: a comparison of outcomes at 6-month Follow-up for a randomized controlled trial.

We previously conducted a 3-arm randomized trial (263 adults with chronic low back pain) which compared group-based (1) single-session pain relief skills intervention (Empowered Relief; ER); (2) 8-session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for chronic back pain; and (3) single-session health and back pain education class (HE). Results suggested non-inferiority of ER vs. CBT at 3 months post-treatment on an array of outcomes. Here, we tested the durability of treatment effects at 6 months post-treatment. We examined group differences in primary and secondary outcomes at 6 months and the degree to which outcomes eroded or improved from 3-month to 6-month within each treatment group. Empowered Relief remained non-inferior to CBT on most outcomes, whereas both ER and CBT remained superior to HE on most outcomes. Outcome improvements within ER did not decrease significantly from 3-month to 6-month, and indeed ER showed additional 3- to 6-month improvements on pain catastrophizing, pain bothersomeness, and anxiety. Effects of ER at 6 months post-treatment (moderate term outcomes) kept pace with effects reported by participants who underwent 8-session CBT. The maintenance of these absolute levels implies strong stability of ER effects. Results extend to 6 months post-treatment previous findings documenting that ER and CBT exhibit similarly potent effects on outcomes.

플립러닝을 적용한 보건교육학 수업의 효과

Objectives The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for nursing education by identifying the effects of health education classes applied with flipped learning on learning motivation, learning-related self-direction, self-efficacy, critical thinking disposition, problem-solving ability, and learning satisfaction of nursing students. Methods The study design is a one group pre-post design, and 151 sophomore nursing students who took health education courses at one university were selected from September 1st to December 6th, 2022. Data collection was conducted during the course of the class. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, paired t-test, Pearson's correlation, and stepwise regression were performed using the SPSS Statistics 22.0 program. Results As a result, learning motivation (t=-3.40, p<.001), learning-related self-direction (t=-2.84, p<.005), self-efficacy (t=-2.98, p<.003) and learning satisfaction ( t=-3.08, p<.002) was significantly higher than the level before flipped learning, and problem-solving ability (t=-1.23, p=.218) and critical thinking disposition (t=-0.86, p=.390) had no significant difference. In addition, the factor influencing learning satisfaction was learning motiva-tion, and their explanatory power was 40.0% (F=100.95, p<.001). Conclusions Through this study, it was confirmed that the health education class applying the flipped learning method is an effective teaching-learning method. A specific strategy for applying teaching and learning methods is required to increase learning satisfaction and strengthen learning competency for nursing students.

Does high school health education class satisfaction influence student perceptions of public health and pandemic response?

The COVID-19pandemic significantly affected high school students. Little is known about the mediators of student perceptions of infection prevention and public health entities. We piloted a survey to evaluate the relationship between student perceptions of COVID-19 topics and satisfaction with their most recent health class. Students from one private high school in southeast Michigan completed a survey in early 2022. The primary outcomes were 4 domains: vaccination knowledge, intervention effectiveness, intervention impact, and willingness to readopt an intervention. We assessed the associations between health class satisfaction and these outcomes using multiple linear regression. One-hundred ninety students reported their health class satisfaction and were eligible for analysis. Students reported high confidence in vaccines (93%) but limited knowledge of COVID-19 vaccination (45%). Students perceived COVID-19 interventions as highly effective (range, 72% [hand hygiene]-93% [vaccination]) and reported a willingness to readopt them (range, 73% [stay-at-home orders]-96% [vaccination]). Health class satisfaction (54%) was positively associated with composite scores on vaccination knowledge and intervention effectiveness. Assessing students' intrapandemic perspectives on infection prevention illuminated areas of strength (ie, intervention confidence) and areas for improvement (ie, intervention knowledge and institutional confidence). Students reported favorable perceptions regarding common infection prevention interventions. Future work should investigate the role of educational satisfaction in mediating confidence in public health interventions and institutions.

Using Lean Six Sigma Methods to Develop an Efficient and Sustainable Interdisciplinary Team Program for Chronic Pain in a VA: PREVAIL Interdisciplinary Team Track

Background Chronic pain is highly prevalent in US military Veterans, and pain interdisciplinary teams (IDTs) are the gold standard in pain care. There is no standard or guidance for how best to develop and implement pain interdisciplinary teams within complex health care systems. Objectives The purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the standard 9-step Lean 6 Sigma (LSS) methodology in redesigning a pre-existing VA outpatient pain clinic solely offering interventional pain services into an efficient, sustainable pain IDT program. Methods The initial evaluation process at a VA Medical Center that primarily serves rural Veterans was redesigned with the a priori goal of developing an efficient, sustainable IDT program that decreased driving days (ie, in-person appointments) required for a comprehensive initial pain evaluation, decreased number of consults required for initial pain evaluations, increased the number of consults to Whole Health services, and increased compliance with policies and standards. Feedback from administrators, clinicians, and Veterans was used to identify inefficiencies then iteratively design, test, and finalize a redesigned service called the PREVAIL Interdisciplinary Team Track (PREVAIL IDT Track). Baseline data was collected for 1 year followed by sustainment data for 14 months. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results PREVAIL IDT Track decreased the number of in-person appointments from 5 to 2, decreased consults required for evaluations from 5 to 1, increased the number of unique consults to Whole Health education classes, and made the VA fully compliant with policies and standards. To date, 486 Veterans have participated in the redesigned program, including 167 graduates and 212 current enrollees in this sustained clinical program. Conclusion The success of PREVAIL IDT Track suggests that LSS may be a promising method for redesigning sustainable pain IDTs in VA that improve efficiency.

Design of Customized Teaching Strategies Based on User Behavior Analysis in the Digital Transformation of Health Education

Abstract With the greater popularity of the Internet, on the one hand, online education platforms have flourished and education informatization has entered a new era, with massive learning behavior data generated by learners in different learning platforms. This paper constructs a portrait of student learning behavior based on the characteristics of their learning behavior in the health education class. Based on the clustering analysis method in the big data mining algorithm, the user’s behavioral characteristics are analyzed. On this basis, the algorithm is improved by using collaborative filtering personalized recommendation and introducing the LDA model, and a customized teaching model is constructed in the context of health education, and its application effect is explored. From the four dimensions of “course completion characteristics”, “teaching interaction characteristics”, “learning input characteristics,” and “learning achievement characteristics”, we analyzed different groups of students and investigated the effect of its application. “The behavioral characteristics of different groups of students were analyzed, and it was concluded that Group A and Group B performed better, but Group C accounted for a higher percentage of 24%. Finally, according to the collaborative filtering-based digital customized teaching on the students’ health education test scores for the pre and post-test, it was concluded that the average scores of the experimental subjects increased after the post-test. The mean scores for the third post-test were 4.27, 4.44, and 4.35, respectively. It can be concluded that the customized teaching model has a significant improvement in the students’ classroom teaching effectiveness.

Factors associated with online dating among college students engaging in casual sexual behavior in China: cross-sectional study.

This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with online dating among college students engaging in casual sexual behavior, by understanding these factors, targeted intervention measures can be formulated for relevant departments to help college students better manage their sexual health and offer useful reference for the development of sexual health education. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a stratified cluster sampling method. Demographic and behavioral information was gathered through questionnaires for univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. A total of 595 college students engaging in casual sexual behavior were included in the study, of whom 345 (57.98%) had found casual sexual partners through the internet. Multiple regression analysis indicated that male participants, those aged 20-21 years, those who had recently attended AIDS-themed lectures or health education classes at school, participants who were willing to engage in commercial sexual activities during online dating, participants who accepted sexual activities among men who have sex with men (MSM), those who reported having sexual intercourse with regular partners in the past year, participants who wanted to know if their online dating partners were HIV-diagnosed, those who had engaged in commercial sexual behavior in the past year and those who perceived themselves to be at risk of HIV infection were more likely to engage in online dating. Participants with general/disharmonious family relationships, those who consistently used condoms during casual sexual behavior and those who occasionally used condoms were less likely to engage in online dating. There were a certain extent proportion of casual partners among college students were sourced from the internet, indicating the profound influence of online dating on casual sexual behavior. Therefore, future research and intervention measures should focus on sexual health education and promotion on online dating platforms, strengthen regulations and guidance on college students' online dating behavior, and raise awareness of HIV prevention in this group.

Exploration of College Students’ Psychological Education Teaching Mode Based on Cognitive Behavioral Theory and Its Practice in the Internet Era

Abstract The Internet era brings to the teaching of mental health courses not only the sharing of the best quality teaching resources, but also will profoundly impact the traditional teaching mode of mental health education classes. Based on Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT), this study constructed a hybrid online + offline psychological education teaching mode in the Internet era and designed a controlled experiment between it and the traditional teaching mode to analyze the significant difference through the independent samples t-test method to realize the comparative analysis of the teaching mode. Additionally, the influence factors for evaluating the effectiveness of the teaching method were explored using the CART categorical regression tree model. In Group I, which adopted the blended teaching mode, there were significant differences in the male students’ mental health factors in obsessive-compulsive (p=0.013) and paranoia (p=0.014) and highly significant differences in interpersonal relationships (p=0.006) and academic stress (p=0.002). There is a significant difference in the mental health factors of female students in five factors: compulsion, interpersonal relationship, anxiety, maladjustment, and emotional instability, and there is a highly significant difference in paranoia and academic stress. Only the compulsive (male) factor (p=0.029) and depression (female) factor (p=0.031) showed significant differences in each health factor before and after the experiment in Group II, which used the traditional teaching mode. The teaching mode of this paper has an obvious effect on the improvement of college students’ mental health, which is much better than the traditional teaching mode, thus providing feasible ideas for the construction of a psychological education teaching mode.

BRAIN HEALTH TOGETHER: DEVELOPING AND PILOT-TESTING AN ONLINE GROUP PROGRAM TO REDUCE DEMENTIA RISK

Abstract Growing evidence suggests that multi-domain interventions can slow cognitive decline and reduce dementia risk in older adults. However, most programs have been in-person and/or had relatively long intervention periods (1 to 2-years). The primary goal of this study was to develop and pilot-test Brain Health Together, a 12-week, virtual-group program to reduce dementia risk through targeting modifiable risk factors in older adults who report cognitive decline. Initial content was developed with input from an external Science Advisory Board. 7 individuals who had been participating in online group movement classes for the previous 2 years were invited to pilot-test and provide feedback on Brain Health Together content and structure. In addition to the movement classes, the pilot program included weekly 1-hour group brain health education classes and 30-minute individual brain health coaching sessions for 12 weeks. The first 4 education classes included general content. Based on participant feedback, subsequent classes provided in-depth content on a single brain health risk factor each week, including expert videos and facilitated discussion. Before their first coaching session, participants completed a brief survey about their current lifestyle behaviors and medical conditions related to brain health. This was used to generate an individualized brain health report that summarized areas with low, moderate or high opportunity for change. Coaching sessions focused on setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) goals to address modifiable risk factors. After 12 weeks, participants reported more exercise, less loneliness, and longer sleep duration. We are currently enrolling for a larger clinical trial.

Factors Related to Health Literacy Among the Iranian Population: A Scoping Review.

The identification of the determinants of health literacy is an essential prerequisite for developing health literacy promotion programs. While these factors have been reported in previous studies, there is a lack of a comprehensive review specifically focused on the Iranian population. Therefore, this review aimed to identify the factors related to health literacy in Iran. This scoping review used the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute framework. A search was performed in English-language databases-Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed-using the MeSH keyword of "health literacy," and in Persian-language databases-Magirean and SID-using the related keywords. A narrative synthesis was conducted to describe all included studies' characteristics and explore factors associated with health literacy. A total of 76 studies were included. Based on the results of the study, related factors included personal factors-including sex, age, education level, field of study, parents' education level, marital status, occupation, work experience, employment status, ethnicity, income, socioeconomic status, medical history, duration of disease, addiction, number of children, media literacy, information literacy, computer literacy, and self-efficacy-situational factors-including use of the internet, use of social networks, social support, source of information, and participation in health education classes-and societal and environmental factors-including place of residence and type of insurance. Modifiable factors identified in this study were self-efficacy, social support, information sources, media literacy, information literacy, computer literacy, internet or social networks, and participation in health education classes. Planners can consider these factors when developing interventions to promote health literacy.

Understanding gender disproportion and influences on subject choice in Physical Health Education: a British Columbia high school case study

ABSTRACT The aim of this qualitative case study is to examine the phenomenon of female students’ disproportionate representation in senior level Physical Health Education (PHE) classes. The subject for this teacher’s Masters level project arose from the first author’s personal observations while teaching across several schools in British Columbia, Canada. Through semi-structured interviews with self-identified female participants, we explore female subject choice and if, along with possible reasons why, females may avoid participation in senior level (grade 11-12) mixed gender PHE activity courses. This discussion asserts that females mostly make conscious choices to avoid mixed gender courses at the senior level for several key reasons; females feel silenced by their male peers, PHE is not an inclusive environment, and females perceive their male counterparts assert dominance over them in PHE class. This paper continues with a discussion regarding reinforced gendered norms and their effect on perceived barriers to female participation in schools, and concludes with suggestions for how schools and educators might support female students’ participation.

Assessing the effectiveness of a school educational video on cancer and radiotherapy

Background: Japan has recently begun introducing educational programmes on cancer as part of health and physical education (HPE) classes in schools. In support of this work, the Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology has developed an educational video to enhance children’s understanding of cancer and radiotherapy. Objectives: This study examined the perceived effectiveness of this video among teachers and clarified whether their specialisation played a role in their responses. Methods: An online survey was administered to junior and senior high school teachers without a history of cancer. Respondents’ demographic characteristics, healthy lifestyle habits, anxiety about cancer treatment and knowledge about cancer and radiotherapy were surveyed pre- and post-video. We compared the data from science teachers, HPE teachers and teachers of other specialties. Subsequently, we performed a multiple logistic regression analysis to estimate significant factors that predicted post-watch correct-answer rates. Results: Science teachers were less anxious about radiotherapy and surgery than the other-specialty teachers. They were also the most knowledgeable about cancer and radiotherapy. Post-viewing correct-answer rates improved, except for questions about the work of medical physicists and damage to normal cells. The multiple regression analysis identified age (β = .07), sex (β = .08), anxiety about radiotherapy (β = −.09) and pre-video correct-answer rates (β = .46) as significant factors predicting post-watch correct-answer rates. Conclusion: The video was beneficial in enhancing teachers’ understanding of cancer and radiotherapy. Compared with HPE and other-specialty teachers, science teachers were superior in terms of cancer and radiotherapy comprehension. There may be value in exploring possibilities for cross-disciplinary instruction involving not only HPE but also science teachers in cancer education, especially radiotherapy education.

An Examination of the Structural Validity of Instruments Assessing PE Teachers’ Beliefs, Intentions, and Self-Efficacy towards Teaching Physically Active Classes

Schools and, in particular, health and physical education (HPE) classes, has the potential to engage children and adolescents in health-enhancing physical activity. HPE teachers may enable or constrain this behaviour through appropriate classroom strategies and pedagogies that enhance not only student learning but also their engagement in physical activity. Such practices are a result of a teacher’s curricula beliefs, self-efficacy, and intention to teach physical activity as part of their HPE classes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the structural validity of six instruments designed to assess teachers’ beliefs, self-efficacy, and intentions regarding physical activity in physical education using the Rasch Measurement Model (RMM). Data suggest that three out of six instruments demonstrated multidimensional characteristics (curriculum beliefs, self-efficacy, and subjective norm). Model fit data were in the ranges of 0.5 to 1.61 for infit and −2.58 to 3.20 for outfit data. Differential item functioning was only present on one item in the curriculum beliefs instrument. Person reliability was >0.55 and item reliability was >0.73. Qualitative interpretation of Wright maps demonstrated a very good spread of items. Overall, each instrument demonstrated appropriate structural validity when weighed up against all of the components of the RMM.

Prevalence and predictors of delayed initiation of breastfeeding among postnatal women at a tertiary hospital in Eastern Uganda: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe rates for the delayed initiation of breastfeeding in Uganda remain unacceptably high between 30% and 80%. The reasons for this are not well understood. We aimed to determine the prevalence and predictors for the delayed initiation of breastfeeding in Eastern Uganda.MethodsThis study employed a cross-sectional study design. A total of 404 mother-infant pairs were enrolled onto the study between July and November, 2020 at Mbale regional referral hospital (MRRH). They were interviewed on socio-demographic related, infant-related, labour and delivery characteristics using a structured questionnaire. We estimated adjusted odds ratios using multivariable logistic regression models. All variables with p < 0.25 at the bivariate level were included in the initial model at the multivariate analysis. All variables with p < 0.1 and those of biological or epidemiologic plausibility (from previous studies) were included in the second model. The variables with odds ratios greater than 1 were considered as risk factors; otherwise they were protective against the delayed initiation of breastfeeding.ResultsThe rate of delayed initiation of breastfeeding was 70% (n = 283/404, 95% CI: 65.3 – 74.4%). The factors that were associated with delayed initiation of breastfeeding were maternal charateristics including: being single (AOR = 0.37; 95%CI: 0.19–0.74), receiving antenatal care for less than 3 times (AOR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.07–3.19) undergoing a caesarean section (AOR = 2.07; 95%CI: 1.3–3.19) and having a difficult labour (AOR = 2.05; 95%CI: 1.25–3.35). Infant characteristics included: having a health issue at birth (AOR = 9.8; 95%CI: 2.94–32.98).ConclusionsThe proportion of infants that do not achieve early initiation of breastfeeding in this setting remains high. Women at high risk of delaying the initiation of breastfeeding include those who: deliver by caesarean section, do not receive antenatal care and have labour difficulties. Infants at risk of not achieving early initiation of breastfeeding include those that have a health issue at birth. We recommend increased support for women who undergo caesarean section in the early initiation of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding support can be initiated in the recovery room after caesarean delivery or in the operating theatre. The importance of antenatal care attendance should be emphasized during health education classes. Infants with any form of health issue at birth should particularly be given attention to ensure breastfeeding is initiated early.