Health literacy as a set of competencies to promote and sustain health has received significant research attention, particularly in studies on adults. Improving health literacy at an early age is crucial to personal health and development, so there is a need to investigate the health literacy of school-aged children. The aims of this study were to determine the level of subjective health literacy among adolescents in Lithuania and to examine the association between health literacy, school achievement, health education in schools, and family affluence. Health literacy was assessed using a brief Health Literacy for School-Aged Children instrument on a representative sample of 2369 subjects (from the 7th to 10th grades). Overall, 12.1% of all respondents had low, 70.5% moderate, and 17.4% a high level of health literacy. School achievements were found to be a significant predictor of health literacy, as were the number of school-based health promotion events. Family affluence also predicted an increased level of health literacy. This study was the first nationally representative examination of this topic in Lithuania and it highlighted the alarming finding that less than one-fifth of adolescents had high health literacy.

El objetivo del estudio fue explorar los efectos de sesiones de ejercicio en video sobre los cambios en las percepciones y actitudes de los estudiantes de educación primaria hacia la actividad física, la autoeficacia física y el conocimiento académico adquirido relacionado con la salud. El estudio incluyó a 181 estudiantes de educación primaria, de primer a cuarto curso, de los cuales 93 (51.4%) constituyeron el grupo experimental y 88 (48.6%) el grupo control (Medad = 8.24; DT = 1.10 años). Los efectos de la intervención mediante sesiones de ejercicio en video fueron medidos mediante la Escala de Actitudes Hacia la Actividad Física, que se administró en el pretest y el postest. El grupo experimental llevó a cabo la intervención mediante las sesiones de ejercicio en vídeo todos los días escolares durante tres meses. Tras la intervención, se encontraron mejoras significativas en el grupo experimental en las percepciones y actitudes de los estudiantes hacia la actividad física, en su autoeficacia física y en el conocimiento académico adquirido relacionado con la salud. En el grupo control no se produjeron mejoras tras el periodo de intervención. El estudio apoya firmemente la efectividad del programa de ejercicios en video.

This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the associations between body appreciation, body functionality and disordered eating in a large adolescent sample of different levels and types of sports practice. Method: The sample consisted of 1412 adolescents (59.8% were girls). The ages ranged from 15 to 18 years old, with a mean age of 16.9 (SD = 0.5) for girls and 17.0 (SD = 0.4) for boys. Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire assessing the nature of sports participation, body appreciation, body functionality, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, internalisation of sociocultural beauty ideals and disordered eating. A two-way ANOVA was employed to test the differences in body image concerns, body appreciation, perceived physical fitness and disordered eating behaviours in gender groups and groups of different sport types and levels. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to predict disordered eating behaviours of different study variables. Results: Participants of leisure and competitive sports reported greater body appreciation, self-esteem and lower body dissatisfaction compared to non-participants. No differences in body appreciation and disordered eating were observed in adolescents involved in weight-sensitive and less weight-sensitive sports. Body appreciation and body functionality were associated with lower disordered eating in adolescent girls not participating in sports, leisure exercisers and participants of competitive sport as well as in boys participating in competitive sports, controlling for body mass index. Adolescent boys demonstrated greater body appreciation compared to girls. Conclusions: The results of this study support the knowledge of the protective role of positive body image preventing dysfunctional eating in adolescent girls of various sports practice and in competitive sports involved boys. Disordered eating prevention and clinical treatment programs for adolescents of different physical activity might benefit from including education about body appreciation and functionality.

Background: Across countries, young people are not sufficiently physically active. The evidence confirms that beyond demographic and individual agents, individuals participate within their social and physical environment. The ecological model enables a search for the modifiable factors in specific populations, as it allows consideration of factors affecting individuals’ lives on different levels, as well as considering the interplay of those factors. The aim of this study was to examine the complex interconnections among environmental, social capital and motivational factors at different levels, within an ecological model for high school students’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during their leisure time. Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study included 1285 students from 14 to 18 years old, with a mean age of 16.14 ± 1.22. Physical activity, neighborhood physical activity recourses, neighborhood safety, social capital, physical activity motivation and sociodemographic factors were evaluated. Logistic regression, mediation and moderation analyses were performed predicting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during leisure time. Results: In the final multivariate logistic regression model, greater social participation (OR 1.03 [1.01–1.05]), higher relative autonomy index (OR 1.11 [1.06–1.15]) and male gender (OR 1.71 [1.13–2.57]) directly predicted meeting MVPA recommendations. Any significant moderation effects (p > 0.05) of environmental characteristics were not found for the relationship between social capital, motivational factors and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The evidence of positive indirect mediation effects was found in all five models for social capital components as all CIs for its βs do not contain 0, though standardized effect sizes were between 0.02 and 0.07, indicating small effect sizes. Conclusion: These findings provide support for the presence of some direct and indirect pathways from social capital to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Future intervention strategies should focus on strengthening physical activity motivation by encouraging the development of social network and social participation as well as family, neighborhood and school social capital within the framework of the ecological model.

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The aim of the present study was to test associations between self-objectification and health-related lifestyle habits in a large sample of adolescents. In 2019–2020, a large sample of adolescents (n = 1402, 40.4% boys) participated in the survey and, as a part of a larger study, filled in questionnaires on self-objectification and lifestyle. Self-objectification was assessed using the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (SOQ). The lifestyle questionnaire had three batteries: eating attitudes and behaviors, dietary habits, and questions on harmful behaviors together with time spending patterns: sedentary lifestyle and physical activity. The ages ranged from 15–19 years with a mean age of 16.97 ± 0.46 years. Self-objectification (SO) was associated with a less healthy lifestyle: more frequent dieting and unhealthy eating habits in girls, skipping breakfast, and a lower number of meals per day. Adolescent boys and girls with higher SO demonstrated more frequent smoking and alcohol consumption until they felt dizzy and more frequent consumption of soft drinks, energy drinks, and fast foods. Girls with higher SO demonstrated lower perceived physical activity and longer duration of internet browsing for non-educational purposes. The results of the present study inform healthy lifestyle promotion programs for adolescents, suggesting that including psychoeducation about self-objectification, body functionality, and positive embodiment might be an effective strategy.

Recently, discussion of the potential of health literacy (HL) for health promotion has increased; however, clear evidence illuminating the relationship between adolescents' HL and their physical activity (PA) remains scarce. This study aimed to assess the association between adolescents' HL and leisure time PA. A representative cross-sectional study was conducted with 2,369 Lithuanian adolescents aged 13-16 years. A self-reported questionnaire gathered information regarding HL, leisure How to cite this article: Sukys S, Tilindiene I, Trinkuniene L.Association between health literacy and leisure time physical activity among Lithuanian adolescents.

The Global Matrix 3.0 “Report Card” assessment of physical activity was developed to achieve a better understanding of the global variability in child and youth physical activity. Lithuania joined the Global Matrix 3.0. The aim of this article is to summarize the results of the first Lithuanian Report Card, which included 10 indicators, as representative of individual behaviors, sources, and settings of influence indicators, and a health-related characteristic. The grades for each indicator were based on the best available Lithuanian data. The findings showed poor Overall Physical Activity, Active Transportation (C−), and Family and Peers (D). Sedentary behavior was graded C−, and Organized Sport Participation, Community and Environment, and Government were graded C. Physical Fitness and School indicators received the highest grade (C+). The first Lithuanian Report Card on Physical Activity of Children and Youth shows that Lithuanian children and youth have less than satisfactory levels of organized physical activity, active transportation to and from school, community and built environments, and government strategies and investments. The low levels of support from family and peers require more attention from health promoters. There is a gap in the evidence about active play that should be addressed by researchers and policy makers.