Implications For Health Education Research Articles

Assessment of nutrition knowledge and associated factors among secondary school students in Haramaya district, Oromia region, eastern Ethiopia: implications for health education.

Nutrition knowledge stands as a cornerstone in facilitating informed dietary choices, thereby profoundly impacting overall health and lifestyle outcomes. Malnutrition often correlates with deficient nutritional knowledge, highlighting the critical need for comprehensive understanding in this domain. While Ethiopia has seen considerable research on nutritional status and associated factors, there remains a paucity of studies specifically addressing nutrition knowledge among secondary school students, particularly within the Haramaya District. Therefore, this study aimed to meticulously assess nutrition knowledge and its determinants among secondary school students in Eastern Ethiopia. Employing an institutional-based cross-sectional design, we carefully selected 417 students from secondary schools in Haramaya District, Eastern Ethiopia, through simple random sampling. Data Research Topic entailed structured interviews, with subsequent entry into Epi Data version 3.1 for meticulous analysis utilizing SPSS version 21 software. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics, while both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to elucidate factors associated with nutritional knowledge, setting statistical significance at p-value <0.05. All 417 selected students participated in the study, yielding a commendable response rate of 100%. The median nutritional knowledge score among students stood at 58, with an interquartile range spanning from 44 to 66. Approximately 46.76% (95% CI: 42-51.59) of students exhibited good nutritional knowledge. Significant determinants of nutrition knowledge included sex [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.03-3.04], being senior secondary students (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.95-5.73), and access to nutrition information (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI: 1.60-6.87). Our findings illuminate a notable level of nutritional knowledge among secondary school students in Haramaya District. However, discernible disparities in nutrition knowledge emerged based on gender, educational level, and access to nutrition information. These insights underscore the exigency of targeted interventions aimed at enhancing nutrition literacy among students, thereby fostering holistic health promotion endeavors.

영유아를 둔 부모의 자녀 구강건강에 대한 중요도 인식과 실행수준

Purpose: This study was conducted to suggest implications for oral health education for young children by examining the recognition of the importance of young children's oral health and the level of implementation among parents of recognition. Method: A survey was conducted on 320 parents of young children in Region C from July 10 to July 28, 2023. A total of 293 questionnaires were used in the final analysis. The collected data were conducted to frequency analysis, IPA analysis using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0 Results: First, the question with the highest recognition of the importance of oral health care for children among parents of young children was ‘If a child says their teeth hurt, they receive dental treatment quickly. The item with the highest level of implementation was ‘When purchasing a toothbrush, purchase a children’s toothbrush that matches the size of child’s teeth.’ Second, the question with the highest recognition of the importance of oral health education for children among parents of young children was ‘Instructing children to brush their teeth, tongue, and gums when brushing their teeth.’ The question with the highest level of implementation was ‘Educate child to eat foods that are beneficial to dental health.’ Conclusions: There is a need to improve parents' level of practice regarding oral health of young children, including proper brushing of teeth, oral check-ups, and use of oral products. Nutrition education, oral health and safety parent education, and early childhood teacher retraining are requested.

Depressive symptoms and activity engagement in autistic adolescents and those with other developmental disabilities

BackgroundAutistic adults and those with other developmental disabilities (DD) have increased depressive symptoms and decreased activity engagement when compared to those with no DD. Few studies explore activities related to depressive symptoms in autistic people and those with other DD during adolescence. ObjectiveThe objectives of this analysis were to describe depressive symptoms and activity engagement among autistic adolescents and those with other DD and no DD and explore types of activities associated with depressive symptoms, stratified by study group. MethodsParents of adolescents completed a multi-site case-control study of autism and other DD when their child was 2–5 years of age and a follow-up survey when their child was 12–16 years of age. Questions asked about the adolescent's current diagnoses, depressive symptoms (i.e., diagnosis, medication use, or symptoms), and engagement in club, social, sport, vocational, volunteer, and other organized activities. ResultsAutistic adolescents (N = 238) and those with other DD (N = 222) were significantly more likely to have depressive symptoms than adolescents with no DD (N = 406), (31.9 %, 30.6 %, and 15.0 % respectively). Lower percentages of autistic adolescents participated in activities than peers with other DD, who had lower percentages than peers with no DD. Participation in sports was associated with lower likelihood of depressive symptoms in all groups. ConclusionsAutistic adolescents and those with other DD are at increased risk for depressive symptoms and reduced activity engagement. Participation in sports may be especially important for adolescent mental health regardless of disability status. Implications for public health education and intervention are discussed.

유치원 교사의 유아 감염병 예방교육 현황과 보건교사 방문교육에 대한 요구

The purpose of this study is to obtain implications for kindergarten health education by grasping the current status of kindergarten's infectious disease prevention education and the demand for health teachers' visiting education. The subjects of this study were 151 teachers currently working in kindergarten in ‘S’ city, who participated in an online survey. Findings revealed that most of them had experience in early childhood infectious disease prevention education, and most of the instructors were themselves. Their difficulties were the lack of expertise in infectious diseases and the lack of activities and play support materials. They responded that ‘methods and activities of infection prevention’ are the most necessary educational content. ‘Infection prevention methods and activities’ and ‘the importance of preventing infectious diseases’ is suitable from the age of 3, In addition, home support activities are required, and Home letters, card news, and expert lectures are preferred. Mostly, they need early childhood infectious disease prevention education visited by health teachers, and they are willing to participate in projects. They responded that group activity for visiting health teachers is preferably around 30 minutes, and related activities and plays are required along with the class. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for early childhood infectious disease prevention education projects visited by health teachers

Assessment of HPV Knowledge and Awareness among Students and Staff at IBB University, Niger State, Nigeria: Implications for Health Education and Prevention.

In Nigeria, statistics reveal that there is a high rate of cervical cancer among women and a significant lack of awareness surrounding Human Papillomavirus (HPV), which poses a substantial risk of HPV infection. This cross-sectional survey, conducted at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) University, focuses on adapting and exploring the factors that influence a 20-item scale to measure HPV knowledge, evaluating knowledge-associated patterns and HPV-associated risk factors. We examined HPV vaccination rates, infection awareness, vaccine awareness, and the impact of ethnicity on HPV knowledge. Various validated forms were adapted to measure HPV awareness and knowledge. Non-parametric tests addressed non-normality. Data were presented using median and IQR and categorical data were frequency-based. Bivariate tests (Mann-Witney, Kruskal Wallis) explored knowledge-associated factors, while quantile regression (75th percentile) examined HPV knowledge factors. Variables were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. The adapted 20-item knowledge scale revealed strong reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.913), ensuring internal consistency. The median knowledge score was 0, with an interquartile range (IQR) of 0-5. Our findings revealed a significant lack of awareness and knowledge about HPV; only 34.8% of the population were aware of HPV infection and 25.0% were familiar with HPV vaccination. Furthermore, ethnicity was found to be significantly associated with knowledge of HPV. This study emphasizes the necessity for targeted interventions to enhance HPV awareness, especially within specific ethnic groups. Despite a robust knowledge scale, educational initiatives such as seminars/conferences about HPV and cervical cancer remain crucial in addressing this gap, ultimately reducing HPV infection and cervical cancer risks in Nigeria.

The Relationship among Mask-Wearing, Fatalism, and Religiosity in a Muslim Population: Implications for Health Education

The Relationship among Mask-Wearing, Fatalism, and Religiosity in a Muslim Population: Implications for Health Education

Characterizing Aging-Related Health in Older Women with a History of Incarceration: Multimorbidity, Polypharmacy, Mortality, Frailty, and Depression.

To characterize aging-related health in women with past CLSI and compare with women with no-CLSI. Health and Retirement Study Wave 11 and 12 data from women age >50 with CLSI were compared with data from women age >50 with no-CLSI. Generalized linear models were estimated for aging-related health outcomes. The group with CLSI (n = 230) was significantly younger than the no-CLSI group (n = 8035) yet had more physical, functional, and mental health challenges and fewer resources. Incarceration significantly predicted aging-related outcomes of multimorbidity, polypharmacy, mortality, frailty, and depression. Earlier onset of physical and functional health conditions in women with past CLSI has implications for health education and promotion, clinical practice, and intervention design.

Student engagement in voluntary service in response to COVID-19 in Guangzhou, China: Implications for disease control and public health education from a cross-sectional study.

Public health students have been seen as a potential force to meet the demand for health workers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, few studies have provided empirical data. This study was conducted to summarize the experiences of public health students who engaged in voluntary service in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Guangzhou, China. A cross-sectional study was conducted among postgraduate and undergraduate students at the School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, in August 2021. A self-designed online questionnaire was used to collect data on the experience of voluntary service during the early stage of the outbreak (in February 2020) and during the normalization stage of the prevention and control of COVID-19 (in June 2021) in China. Among the 96 students, 40 (41.7%) participated in voluntary service in February 2020, and 56 (58.3%) participated in voluntary service in June 2021. Most of the students participated in the voluntary service due to the motivations to help others (55.2%), to apply theoretical knowledge to practice (74.0%), to improve their fieldwork skills (72.9%), and to gain the experience for future careers (80.2%). Most volunteers were driven by professional responsibility (81.3%). More than half (53.1%) of the students felt anxious during their voluntary service. A lower proportion of students felt anxious in June 2021 than in February 2020 (44.6% vs 65.0%, P = .049), while a higher proportion of students found voluntary service harder than expected in June 2021 than in February 2020 (33.9% vs 7.5%, P = .002). Most students improved their knowledge and skills about COVID-19 after the training, but some knowledge and skills still needed improvement after their voluntary service. Public health students could help support the health system during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing adequate training and protection. More efforts should be made to provide psychological support for student volunteers and to optimize the curriculum to bridge the gap in public health education between theoretical knowledge and practical skills in responding to public health emergencies.

Health Information Seeking Behaviour in University Students Sri Lanka

Health Information Seeking Behaviour (HISB) refers to the action individuals take to fulfil their health-related information needs. In today's information-rich world, understanding HISB has become crucial for developing effective strategies in information-seeking and health management. For university students, efficient HISB can alleviate health-related anxiety, enhance risk management, promote self-care, and empower informed decision-making, all of which can positively impact academic performance. The findings unveiled intriguing patterns in information source preferences, with 46.2% of students turning to the Internet as their primary source, 41% relying on interpersonal networks, and 13% consulting healthcare professionals. Notably, no students reported using mass media platforms for health information. Gender, year of study, degree program, physical activity, health literacy, self-efficacy, and perceived severity of health problems exhibited significant associations with the choice of information sources. For instance, male students preferred the Internet, while female students leaned towards consulting healthcare professionals and interpersonal networks. Second-year students primarily used the internet, while final-year students sought advice from family and friends. Those who work-activity turned to healthcare professionals, whereas sports-activity favoured the internet. Furthermore, students with low work activity showed reduced odds of using the internet. Interestingly, sports activity had a significant impact only among internet information seekers. Students with moderate health literacy were more inclined to consult family and friends. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights into the factors affecting HISB among university students, offering a nuanced understanding of their information-seeking behaviour. These findings have implications for health education and interventions promoting informed and responsible health-related decision-making among young adults.

Maternal Prenatal Use of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Illicit Drugs and Associations with Childhood Cancer Subtypes.

The association between childhood cancer risk and maternal prenatal substance use/abuse remains uncertain due to modest sample sizes and heterogeneous study designs. We surveyed parents of children with cancer regarding maternal gestational use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, using a Likert-type scale, and demographic, perinatal, and clinical variables. Multivariable log-Poisson regression assessed differences in frequency of prenatal substance use across fifteen childhood cancer subtypes, adjusting for birthweight, gestational age, and demographic factors. Respondents from 3,145 unique families completed the survey (92% biological mothers). A minority reported gestational use of tobacco products (14%), illicit drugs including marijuana or cocaine (4%), or more than a moderate amount of alcohol (2%). Prenatal illicit drug use was associated with increased prevalence of intracranial embryonal tumors [prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.94; confidence interval [CI], 1.05-3.58], including medulloblastoma (PR = 1.82) and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET; PR = 2.66), and was also associated with retinoblastoma (PR = 3.11; CI, 1.20-8.08). Moderate to heavy alcohol consumption was strongly associated with elevated prevalence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PR = 5.94; CI, 1.84-19.21). Prenatal smoking was not associated with elevated prevalence of any childhood cancer subtype. We identify novel associations between illicit drug use during pregnancy and increased prevalence of nonglioma central nervous system tumors, including medulloblastoma, supratentorial PNETs, and retinoblastoma. Gestational exposure to alcohol was positively associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Although alcohol and tobacco use during pregnancy has declined, gestational cannabis use has risen. Investigating its impact on neurodevelopment and brain tumorigenesis is vital, with important implications for childhood cancer research and public health education.

Twitter Misinformation Discourses About Vaping: Systematic Content Analysis.

While there has been substantial analysis of social media content deemed to spread misinformation about electronic nicotine delivery systems use, the strategic use of misinformation accusations to undermine opposing views has received limited attention. This study aims to fill this gap by analyzing how social media users discuss the topic of misinformation related to electronic nicotine delivery systems, notably vaping products. Additionally, this study identifies and analyzes the actors commonly blamed for spreading such misinformation and how these claims support both the provaping and antivaping narratives. Using Twitter's (subsequently rebranded as X) academic application programming interface, we collected tweets referencing #vape and #vaping and keywords associated with fake news and misinformation. This study uses systematic content analysis to analyze the tweets and identify common themes and actors who discuss or possibly spread misinformation. This study found that provape users dominate the platform regarding discussions about misinformation about vaping, with provaping tweets being more frequent and having higher overall user engagement. The most common narrative for provape tweets surrounds the conversation of vaping being perceived as safe. On the other hand, the most common topic from the antivape narrative is that vaping is indeed harmful. This study also points to a general distrust in authority figures, with news outlets, public health authorities, and political actors regularly accused of spreading misinformation, with both placing blame. However, specific actors differ depending on their positionalities. The vast number of accusations from provaping advocates is found to shape what is considered misinformation and works to silence other narratives. Additionally, allegations against reliable and proven sources, such as public health authorities, work to discredit assessments about the health impacts, which is detrimental to public health overall for both provaping and antivaping advocates. We conclude that the spread of misinformation and the accusations of misinformation dissemination using terms such as "fact check," "misinformation," "fake news," and "disinformation" have become weaponized and co-opted by provaping actors to delegitimize criticisms about vaping and to increase confusion about the potential health risks. The study discusses the mixed types of impact of vaping on public health for both smokers and nonsmokers. Additionally, we discuss the implications for effective health education and communication about vaping and how misinformation claims can affect evidence-based discourse on Twitter as well as informed vaping decisions.

Changes in daily life due to COVID-19: focusing on health education to reduce risk

Introduction. Coronavirus, which started in 2019, spread worldwide and affected the lives of people around the world for a longer time than expected, and the risks of COVID-19 can be seen as a general phenomenon. As the pandemic has prolonged, there is a need to identify longitudinal trends in how people's daily lives are changing due to the pandemic to gain insights into how to sustain life in the post-pandemic era, and data has been accumulated that can be utilized. The purpose of this study is to identify the generalization of risk in changes in daily life due to COVID-19, i.e., to identify the generalization of risk due to COVID-19 by analyzing longitudinal (2019-2022) changes in daily life (economic situation, mental health, changes in family and social relationships) due to COVID-19 among the elderly, baby boomers, and MZ generation in Korea. The results of this study will provide health education implications to protect our daily lives from the risk of changes in daily life caused by COVID-19. Research methods. In this study, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 data were used among the KOWEPS data. Reliability analysis and repeated measurement ANOVA (using General Linear Model) were applied using SPSS 24 version. Results. First, as the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged, depression gradually increased (F=21.252, p&lt;.001), and family relationship satisfaction and social relationship satisfaction tended to change negatively (F =3.545, p&lt;.05, F=51.309, p&lt;.001). Second, looking at economic difficulties, the main effect of time (F=9.303, p&lt;.001) and generation (F=30.043, p&lt;.001) were significant. The economic situation was most traumatic for the baby boomers, who are the backbone of Korean society. Third, looking at depression, the main effect of time (F=11.656, p&lt;.001) and the main effect of generation (F=16.962, p&lt;.001) were significant, and the interaction between time and generation (F=4.345, p&lt;.001) was also significant. And in the case of self-esteem, only the main effect of generation (F=223.695, p&lt;.001) was significant. The elderly was the most affected group in terms of mental health due to COVID-19. Fourth, Looking at family conflict, the main effect of time (F=81.399, p&lt;.001), the main effect of generation (F=3.294, p&lt;.05), and the interaction between time and generation (F=2.721, p&lt;.05) were all significant. In the case of family relationship satisfaction, only the main effect of generation (F=140.768, p&lt;.001) was significant. Although Generation MZ did not experience much economic hardship due to COVID-19, they had higher levels of depression and family conflict than other groups, but they also had the highest levels of satisfaction with family relationships and social relationships. Conclusion. First, all variables except self-esteem experienced negative changes across the board, confirming the generalization of the risk posed by COVID-19. However, there was a positive change in family conflicts, which decreased in 2022. Second, the longitudinal changes in daily life due to COVID-19 differed by generation, revealing generational heterogeneity. Economic conditions had the most negative impact on baby boomers, while mental health and interpersonal relationships had the greatest impact on seniors. Therefore, this study suggests to establish a longterm health education plan by paying attention to the fact that if a virus such as COVID-19 becomes a global risk in the future, changes in daily life will be reflected differently depending on the characteristics of each generation.

Global Self-Esteem, Body Composition, and Physical Activity in Polish University Students.

Global self-esteem is a psychological concept that refers to the overall assessment of oneself as a person of value. Body composition is measured by indices such as BMI, BF, and LBM, which have implications for health and self-esteem. Physical activity is associated with numerous health and self-esteem benefits. The purpose of this study focuses on assessing the relationship between global self-esteem, body composition, and physical activity among Polish students. The study was conducted on a group of 305 students between the ages of 19 and 26. The participants were divided into groups according to their level of physical activity. The SES scale by M. Rosenberg assessed the subjects' global self-esteem. The results showed a negative correlation between body weight and BMI and global self-esteem, that is, the higher the body weight, the lower the self-esteem. On the other hand, higher levels of physical activity were associated with higher global self-esteem. The study suggests that maintaining healthy physical activity and body composition can help improve global self-esteem. The study highlights the importance of physical activity for mental health and self-esteem. It is worth encouraging and promoting physical activity among students to support an individual's physical and emotional health. Ultimately, this study may have implications for health policy, education, and intervention for students to emphasize the importance of physical activity for self-esteem and overall health.

Using the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form C to Investigate Health Beliefs About Bladder Cancer Prevention and Treatment Among Male Patients: Cross-Sectional Study.

Bladder cancer is a leading cause of death among Chinese male populations in recent years. The health locus of control construct can mediate health status and outcomes, and it has proven helpful in predicting and explaining specific health-related behaviors. However, it has never been used to investigate health beliefs about bladder cancer prevention and treatment. This study aimed to classify male patients into different latent groups according to their beliefs about bladder cancer prevention and treatment and to identify associated factors to provide implications for the delivery of tailored education and interventions and the administration of targeted prevention and treatment. First, we designed a four-section questionnaire to solicit data: section 1-age, gender, and education; section 2-the communicative subscale of the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale; section 3-the eHealth Literacy Scale; and section 4-health beliefs about bladder cancer prevention and treatment measured by the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form C. We hypothesized that the participants' health beliefs about bladder cancer prevention and treatment measured in section 4 could be closely associated with information collected through sections 1 to 3. We recruited 718 Chinese male patients from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, China, and invited them to participate in a web-based questionnaire survey. Finally, we used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of men based on their categorical responses to the items on the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale Form C and ascertained factors contributing to the low self-efficacy group identified. We identified 2 subgroups defined as low and moderate self-efficacy groups representing 75.8% (544/718) and 24.2% (174/718) of the total sample, respectively. Men in the low self-efficacy cluster (cluster 1: 544/718, 75.8%) were less likely to believe in their own capability or doctors' advice to achieve optimal outcomes in bladder cancer prevention and treatment. Men in the moderate self-efficacy cluster (cluster 2: 174/718, 24.2%) had distinct psychological traits. They had stronger beliefs in their own capability to manage their health with regard to bladder cancer prevention and treatment and moderate to high levels of trust in health and medical professionals and their advice to achieve better prevention and treatment outcomes. Four factors contributing to low self-efficacy were identified, including limited education (Year 6 to Year 12), aged ≥44 years, limited communicative health literacy, and limited digital health literacy. This was the first study investigating beliefs about bladder cancer prevention and treatment among Chinese male patients. Given that bladder cancer represents a leading cause of death among Chinese male populations in recent years, the low self-efficacy cluster and associated contributing factors identified in this study can provide implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy-making.

"It just makes you more vulnerable as an employee": Understanding the effects of disability stigma on employment in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the United States, affecting approximately 1 million Americans. However, there is a dearth of research on the employment experiences of individuals with PD. This research article makes a crucial contribution to the literature by examining the role of disability stigma in shaping employment options in PD, with relevance to the experiences of adults with chronic and/or progressive diseases more broadly. The author conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 23 adults under the age of 65 with PD. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. The author utilized an integrated approach to analysis, primarily employing a thematic analysis approach. Additionally, a narrative analysis strategy, the Listening Guide, was integrated into the broader thematic analysis to deepen analysis of discrimination and stigma. Findings demonstrate how internalized, anticipated and/or experienced disability-related stigma profoundly affects employment experiences, influencing participants' work outcome expectations and acting as an employment barrier. Findings have implications for health care practice and education, disability policy, early intervention strategies after the onset of PD and priorities for future research.

Functional Health Literacy Among Chinese Populations and Associated Factors: Latent Class Analysis.

Poor functional health literacy has been found to be independently associated with poor self-assessed health, poor understanding of one's health condition and its management, and higher use of health services. Given the importance of functional health literacy, it is necessary to assess the overall status of functional health literacy in the general public. However, the literature review shows that no studies of functional health literacy have been conducted among the Chinese population in China. This study aimed to classify Chinese populations into different functional health literacy clusters and ascertain significant factors closely associated with low functional health literacy to provide some implications for health education, medical research, and public health policy making. We hypothesized that the participants' functional health literacy levels were associated with various demographic characteristics. Therefore, we designed a four-section questionnaire including the following information: (1) age, gender, and education; (2) self-assessed disease knowledge; (3) 3 validated health literacy assessment tools (ie, the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale, the eHealth Literacy Scale, and the 6-item General Health Numeracy Test); and (4) health beliefs and self-confidence measured by the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales Form B. Using randomized sampling, we recruited survey participants from Qilu Hospital affiliated to Shandong University, China. The questionnaire was administered via wenjuanxing. A returned questionnaire was valid only when all question items included were answered, according to our predefined validation criterion. All valid data were coded according to the predefined coding schemes of Likert scales with different point (score) ranges. Finally, we used latent class analysis to classify Chinese populations into clusters of different functional health literacy and identify significant factors closely associated with low functional health literacy. All data in the 800 returned questionnaires proved valid according to the predefined validation criterion. Applying latent class analysis, we classified Chinese populations into low (n=292, 36.5%), moderate-to-adequate (n=286, 35.7%), and low-to-moderate (n=222, 27.8%) functional health literacy groups and identified five factors associated with low communicative health literacy: (1) male gender (aged 40-49 years), (2) lower educational attainment (below diploma), (3) age between 38 and 68 years, (4) lower self-efficacy, and (5) belief that staying healthy was a matter of luck. We classified Chinese populations into 3 functional health literacy groups and identified 5 factors associated with low functional health literacy. These associated factors can provide some implications for health education, medical research, and health policy making.

Sleep and sleep knowledge among social work students: Implications for mental health and self-care education

ABSTRACT Obtaining good quality sleep is crucial to mental health. Social work students might be particularly vulnerable to mental health challenges and insufficient sleep, which can have important implications for self-care education. Examining social work students’ sleep characteristics (i.e. sleep duration and sleep quality) and health knowledge gaps can provide an important context for promoting healthy sleep among social work students. Nonetheless, the empirical literature lacks such data. The purpose of this study was to employ a sample of undergraduate and graduate social work students to: 1. assess sleep duration and sleep quality; 2. quantitatively and qualitatively examine knowledge about sleep and healthy sleep behaviors; and 3. identify sleep health knowledge gaps. Twenty-five social work students completed validated assessments and participated in a semi-structured focus group. Quantitative and qualitative data highlight poor sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and sleep health knowledge gaps among this population. Data also reveal that while students recognize the importance of sleep, they have difficulty obtaining adequate sleep due to various contextual constraints. These data support the importance of including sleep health in self-care education among social work students and highlight sleep health knowledge gaps that could be integrated into self-care education.

Factors Associated With Limited Digital Health Literacy Among Chinese Male Populations: Cross-sectional Study

eHealth resources and interventions promise to promote favorable behavior change, self-efficacy, and knowledge acquisition, thereby improving health literacy. However, individuals with limited eHealth literacy may find it difficult to identify, understand, and benefit from eHealth use. It is necessary to identify the self-assessed eHealth literacy of those who use eHealth resources to classify their eHealth literacy levels and to determine the demographic characteristics associated with higher and lower eHealth literacy skills. This study aimed to identify notable factors closely associated with limited eHealth literacy among Chinese male populations to provide some implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and public health policy making. We hypothesized that participants' eHealth literacy status was associated with various demographic characteristics. Therefore, we elicited the following information in the questionnaire: age and education, self-assessed disease knowledge, 3 well-developed health literacy assessment tools (ie, the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale, eHealth Literacy Scale, and General Health Numeracy Test), and the 6 Internal items on health beliefs and self-confidence in the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scales. Using randomized sampling, we recruited survey participants from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, China. After validating the data collected through a web-based questionnaire survey via wenjuanxing, we coded all valid data according to predefined coding schemes of Likert scales with different point (score) ranges. We then calculated the total scores of the subsections of the scales or the entire scale. Finally, we used logistic regression modeling to associate the scores of the eHealth Literacy Scale with the scores of the All Aspects of Health Literacy Scale, the General Health Numeracy Test-6, and age and education to ascertain factors considerably associated with limited eHealth literacy among Chinese male populations. All data from the 543 returned questionnaires were valid according to the validation criteria. By interpreting these descriptive statistics, we found that 4 factors were significantly correlated with participants' limited eHealth literacy: older age, lower education attainment, lower levels of all aspects of health literacy (functional, communicative, and critical), and weaker beliefs and self-confidence in internal drivers and strengths to stay healthy. By applying logistic regression modeling, we ascertained 4 factors that were significantly correlated with limited eHealth literacy among Chinese male populations. These relevant factors identified can inform stakeholders engaging in clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making.

What counts as nature in designing environmental links to health education curriculum in initial teacher education?

ABSTRACT In this paper we report on a teacher education co-design project that explored Australian pre-service primary generalist teachers’ ideations of the pedagogical links between health education and nature. As part of their coursework in a Master of Teaching degree at an Australian University, students were invited to design a Victorian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (VC:HPE) activity that connected primary curriculum (F-6) with nature. We conducted a 3-hour suite of online learning activities and prompts using Zoom, Padlet and Moodle. The data consists of the students’ curriculum design artefacts as well as recordings of the group discussions and non-assessment-based presentations of their work. Drawing on theories of child-nature interaction, we present an analysis of the ways in which n = 72 pre-service teachers across 18 groups of 4–5 educators conceptualised links between ‘nature’ and HPE across their activity designs. Prior to the workshop, the majority of pre-service teachers had not previously considered links between the HPE learning area and nature. Through the activities of the co-design workshop, students were surprised with the variety of pedagogical possibilities that were able to be made. There was much student discussion about the possibilities and limitations of balancing safety and risk in their nature-based activity designs. We present a thematic analysis of the quality of student-nature interactions in the groups’ learning designs through: (i) exploration; (ii) embodiment; (iii) cultivation; (iv) appropriation; and (v) representation. The analysis and discussion has implications for the way quality health education is linked to nature-based learning environments, teacher education and contemporary curriculum enactment that incorporates nature and the environment as part of the learning design.

Assessing Patients’ Critical Health Literacy and Identifying Associated Factors: Cross-sectional Study

Previous studies have revealed that functional health literacy plays a less important role than communicative and critical health literacy (CRHL) and that communicative literacy and CRHL contribute more to better patient self-management. Although improving health literacy has been identified as an approach to fostering community involvement and empowerment, CRHL may be regarded as the neglected domain of health literacy, rarely achieving any focus or interventions that claim to be working toward this outcome. Considering this research background, close scholarly attention needs to be paid to CRHL and its associated factors. This study aimed to assess CRHL and identify essential factors closely associated with the status of CRHL among Chinese patients and to provide some implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and public health policy making. We conducted this cross-sectional study, which lasted from April 8, 2022, to September 23, 2022, following the steps below. We first designed a 4-section survey questionnaire and then recruited Mandarin Chinese-speaking patients from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, China, using randomized sampling. Subsequently, we administered the questionnaire via wenjuanxing, the most popular web-based survey platform in China, between July 20, 2022, and August 19, 2022. Finally, we used latent class modeling to analyze the valid data collected to classify the patient participants and identify the factors potentially associated with different CRHL levels. All data in the 588 returned questionnaires were valid. On the basis of the collected data, we classified the patient participants into 3 latent classes of limited, moderate, and adequate CRHL and identified 4 factors associated with limited CRHL, including middle and old age, male sex, lower educational attainment, and low internal drive to maintain one's health. Using latent class modeling, we identified 3 classes of CRHL and 4 factors associated with limited CRHL among the Chinese study participants. These literacy classes and the predicting factors ascertained in this study can provide some implications for clinical practice, health education, medical research, and health policy making.