Children and young people constitute a core target group for health literacy research and practice: during childhood and youth, fundamental cognitive, physical and emotional development processes ...take place and health-related behaviours and skills develop. However, there is limited knowledge and academic consensus regarding the abilities and knowledge a child or young person should possess for making sound health decisions. The research presented in this review addresses this gap by providing an overview and synthesis of current understandings of health literacy in childhood and youth. Furthermore, the authors aim to understand to what extent available models capture the unique needs and characteristics of children and young people.
Six databases were systematically searched with relevant search terms in English and German. Of the n = 1492 publications identified, N = 1021 entered the abstract screening and N = 340 full-texts were screened for eligibility. A total of 30 articles, which defined or conceptualized generic health literacy for a target population of 18 years or younger, were selected for a four-step inductive content analysis.
The systematic review of the literature identified 12 definitions and 21 models that have been specifically developed for children and young people. In the literature, health literacy in children and young people is described as comprising variable sets of key dimensions, each appearing as a cluster of related abilities, skills, commitments, and knowledge that enable a person to approach health information competently and effectively and to derive at health-promoting decisions and actions.
Identified definitions and models are very heterogeneous, depicting health literacy as multidimensional, complex construct. Moreover, health literacy is conceptualized as an action competence, with a strong focus on personal attributes, while also recognising its interrelatedness with social and contextual determinants. Life phase specificities are mainly considered from a cognitive and developmental perspective, leaving children's and young people's specific needs, vulnerabilities, and social structures poorly incorporated within most models. While a critical number of definitions and models were identified for youth or secondary school students, similar findings are lacking for children under the age of ten or within a primary school context.
Health literacy is an important health promotion concern and recently children and adolescents have been the focus of increased academic attention. To assess the health literacy of this population, ...researchers have been focussing on developing instruments to measure their health literacy. Compared to the wider availability of instruments for adults, only a few tools are known for younger age groups. The objective of this study is to systematically review the field of generic child and adolescent health literacy measurement instruments that are currently available.
A systematic literature search was undertaken in five databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycNET, ERIC, and FIS) on articles published between January 1990 and July 2015, addressing children and adolescents ≤18 years old. Eligible articles were analysed, data was extracted, and synthesised according to review objectives.
Fifteen generic health literacy measurement instruments for children and adolescents were identified. All, except two, are self-administered instruments. Seven are objective measures (performance-based tests), seven are subjective measures (self-reporting), and one uses a mixed-method measurement. Most instruments applied a broad and multidimensional understanding of health literacy. The instruments were developed in eight different countries, with most tools originating in the United States (n = 6). Among the instruments, 31 different components related to health literacy were identified. Accordingly, the studies exhibit a variety of implicit or explicit conceptual and operational definitions, and most instruments have been used in schools and other educational contexts. While the youngest age group studied was 7-year-old children within a parent-child study, there is only one instrument specifically designed for primary school children and none for early years.
Despite the reported paucity of health literacy research involving children and adolescents, an unexpected number of health literacy measurement studies in children's populations was found. Most instruments tend to measure their own specific understanding of health literacy and not all provide sufficient conceptual information. To advance health literacy instruments, a much more standardised approach is necessary including improved reporting on the development and validation processes. Further research is required to improve health literacy instruments for children and adolescents and to provide knowledge to inform effective interventions.
Children and young people's importance as core target population for health literacy has been highlighted throughout the literature due to the relevance of the early life phases for maintaining, ...restoring and promoting health during the life course. Transferring health literacy concepts to the target population, however, requires proper testing of their applicability and their fit to the developmental phases as well as the target populations' realities and needs. This article aims to discuss children's and young people's health literacy by elaborating and exploring childhood and youth as life phases with unique characteristics from multidisciplinary perspectives. Drawing on theories and findings from developmental studies, sociology and socialization research, health literacy in childhood and youth is discussed along five 'D' dimensions: (i) disease patterns and health perspectives, (ii) demographic patterns, (iii) developmental change, (iv) dependency and (v) democracy. The unique particularities of children and young people relevant for health literacy include their disease and health-risk profiles, their vulnerability to demographic factors, their social role and status, and their right to participation. Inter- and intra-generational relationships and an unequal distribution of power can either promote or hinder children and young people's health literacy development and their opportunities for participating in health-related decision making. Specifying what is called the 'contextual' and 'relational' dimension of health literacy for the target group requires considering their personal attributes and agency as contextually embedded and interrelated. Taking these considerations into account can help to move towards a more tailored and holistic approach to health literacy of children and young people.
Recently, ultra-processed foods received a lot of attention, but also criticism. Our aim was to provide an overview of the existing evidence of ultra-processed food consumption on human health. We ...conducted a systematic search in four databases until January 5th, 2024. Systematic reviews with meta-analyses on ultra-processed food consumption as defined by the NOVA classification system were included. The certainty of evidence was evaluated by the GRADE approach. We identified 16 publications. Moderate certainty of evidence was found for all-cause mortality (Summary Risk Ratio per 50 g: 1.02; 95% confidence Interval (CI): 1.01, 1.03), cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality (per 50 g/d: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.06, and 1.05; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.08), type 2 diabetes incidence (per 10%: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.13) and colorectal cancer (per 10%: 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.07). For several outcomes such as inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, mental health as well as nutrient quality, similar estimates were observed, but certainty of evidence was limited. Discussing the NOVA concept, it remains unclear whether the processing of foods leads to increased health risks or if ultra-processed food consumption is only a measure for poor diet quality.
The International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) Position Statement on Health Literacy provides an overview of existing evidence and continuing debate on health literacy. Developed ...by the IUHPE Global Working Group on Health Literacy, including experts from around the globe, the Statement provides a basis for discussion and advocacy, by and with IUHPE, both within the health promotion community, and among stakeholders and partners in health promotion. The Statement offers a detailed introduction to the concept of health literacy, calling for global action to improve health literacy in populations. It positions health literacy as an important and modifiable social determinant of health, that plays a significant role in broadly-based strategies for health promotion. The Statement emphasises the necessity of a systems approach to health literacy, underpinned by global, national, regional and local policies. It summarises key evidence to guide practice and policy development, recognising the importance of continued investment in intervention research, in professional and consumer capacity building, and in the transfer of research findings into frontline health promotion practice. In summary, health literacy is understood as an important cross-cutting issue in health promotion throughout the lifespan, which has practical application in guiding clinical practice, public health interventions and public policy for the advancement of global health.
(1) Background: This article adopts an interdisciplinary perspective to analyse, examine, and reflect upon prominent health literacy (HL) understandings in childhood and youth. (2) Method: The ...conceptual analysis combined Rodgers' and Jabareen's approaches to conceptual analysis in eight phases. (3) Results: First, we present exploratory entry points for developing a child-specific HL understanding based on the six dimensions of a 'health-literacy 6D model'. Second, we describe and reflect upon five meta-level dimensions covering the HL definitions and models for children and youth found in the conceptual analysis. Third, we integrate our findings into a target-group-centred HL definition for children and youth. (4) Discussion/Conclusion: This article raises awareness for the heterogeneity of the current conceptual HL debate. It offers a multidisciplinary approach for advancing the existing understanding of HL. Four recommendations for future actions are deduced from the following four principles, which are inherent to the proposed target-group-centred HL definition: (a) to characterize HL from an asset-based perspective, (b) to consider HL as socially embedded and distributed, (c) to recognize that HL develops both in phases and in flexible ways, and (d) to consider the multimodal nature of health-related information. Further research is necessary to test the feasibility and applicability of the proposed definition and conceptual understanding in both research and practice.
Although health literacy is widely discussed and many heterogeneous conceptualizations exist, people with intellectual disabilities have remained largely unconsidered. The purpose of this conceptual ...paper is to analyze the particularities of this target group and discuss and consider implications that arise when conceptualizing the health literacy of people with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, we explore relevant approaches from multiple disciplines and examine their transferability to a conceptual understanding of health literacy for people with intellectual disabilities. For future directions we identified three main dimensions: (1) disentangle health literacy from empowerment; (2) apply a positive, asset-based focus to health literacy; and (3) focus on health literacy as a distributed resource across individuals and their individual life-world.
Background:
Until now, children younger than age 13 years have received little attention in research on health literacy. Although some tools assess children's health literacy, no validated tool is ...available that assesses self-reported health literacy in a systematic and comparable way. The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q) is a valid and reliable measure of adults' self-reported health literacy. It has also been used among adolescents, but it has never been adapted for use with children. We believe it would be worth adapting for younger age groups so that self-reported health literacy could be assessed continuously.
Objective:
This study aimed to quantitatively test an adapted scale based on the HLS-EU-Q developed for German-speaking children age 9 and 10 years.
Methods:
An adapted 26-item HLS-EU-Q scale was given in a paper-and-pencil survey to 907 fourth-grade students in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The psychometric properties of the scale were investigated with item analysis and factor analyses, and both convergent and discriminant validity were assessed.
Key Results:
Of the 26 tested items, 9 were discarded due to poor performance in terms of missing values, item difficulty, and factor structure. This left a 15-item scale with a high internal consistency (α = .791) that takes only a short time to administer. The scale, called the HLS-Child-Q15, had a low correlation with functional health literacy (
r
= .107,
p
< .001), and a moderate correlation with indicators of self-efficacy (ρ = .280 to .306,
p
< .001). The latter indicates adequate discriminant validity, whereas the former points to a need to further investigate convergent validity.
Conclusions:
This is the first study to apply an age-adapted version of the HLS-EU-Q to children. Statistical analyses indicated the successful development of a promising instrument, but further research is needed on its factor structure and validity. This study contributes significantly to the comparative assessment of health literacy across the life course by providing a measurement tool for children age 9 and 10 years.
HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice
. 2020;4(3):e144–e159.
Plain Language Summary:
The European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire was adapted for German-speaking 9- and 10-year-old children, and 26 adapted items were tested in a written survey of 907 children. Item analysis resulted in a 15-item scale with satisfactory psychometric properties. This scale, the HLS-Child-Q15, shows high internal consistency and can be used to assess self-reported health literacy in German-speaking 9- and 10-year-old children. Nonetheless, further studies are needed to validate these results.
Students Having Parents with Mental Health Issues and Teachers' Mental Health Literacy Mental health issues of parents of school children often negatively affects the children as well, including ...their school performance and social behavior in the school setting. Teachers are then required to take actions with regards to supporting children in their coping with and mastering of their home situation and their responds to educational demands. As such, schools' and teachers' actions can either support affected children and fulfill a protective function or respond inappropriately, with negative impact on the affected children. Although the societal discussion about and acceptance of mental illnesses have increased in recent years, scientific knowledge on how well teachers are prepared for meeting the needs of affected students remains insufficient. Therefore, this research study examines teachers' attitudes towards, knowledge about, and competencies regarding children affected by a mentally ill parent. 15 in-depth interviews and 3 focus groups (n = 11) with teachers from primary and secondary schools were conducted and systematically analyzed. Although burdens in the family are perceived as major influences on children's school day and performance, teachers report to not feel sufficiently prepared for and uncertain about supporting and coping with the special needs of affected students. Instead they report to "learn from a case to case" basis. Recognizing the family situation of children with mentally ill parents is reported to be especially difficult for teachers. Responding inadequately and insensitive to the needs of affected children was perceived as a serious burden for teachers themselves. While schools can function as entry points to professional social help systems, teachers frequently reported barriers and challenges in accessing, communicating, and collaborating with these systems. The practical implications of these results regarding the "Mental Health Literacy" of teachers are being discussed.
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