Measuring child and adolescent health literacy: a systematic review of literature

Ormshaw, Michael James; Paakkari, Leena; Kannas, Lasse

doi:10.1108/he-07-2012-0039

Cited by 82 publications

(104 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…There seems to be a clear need for this sort of instrument, given the lack of population-level instruments for inspecting school-aged children's subjective HL [21,22]. Given that a low HL level seems to be a risk factor for health [3] and associated with a poorer health status [4], and also that the foundation for health is built during childhood, it is important to gain information on the overall level of children's HL, and further, on how the level of HL varies between different subgroups.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subjective health literacy: Development of a brief instrument for school-aged children

Paakkari

Torppa

Kannas

et al. 2016

Scand J Public Health

100

141

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Aims: The present paper focuses on the measurement of health literacy (HL), which is an important determinant of health and health behaviours. HL starts to develop in childhood and adolescence; hence there is a need for instruments to monitor HL among younger age groups. These instruments are still rare. The aim of the project reported here was therefore to develop a brief, multidimensional, theorybased instrument to measure subjective HL among school-aged children. Methods: The development of the instrument covered four phases: item generation based on a conceptual framework, a pilot study (n=405), test-retest (n=117), and construction of the instrument (n=3853). All the samples were taken from Finnish 7 th and 9 th graders. Results: Initially, 65 items were generated, of which 32 items were selected for the pilot study. After item reduction, the instrument contained 16 items. The test-retest phase produced estimates of stability. In the final phase a 10-item instrument was constructed, referred to as Health Literacy for School-aged Children (HLSAC). The instrument exhibited a high Cronbach alpha (.93), and included two items from each of five predetermined theoretical components (theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge, critical thinking, self-awareness, citizenship). Conclusions: The iterative and validity driven development process made it possible to construct a brief multidimensional HLSAC instrument. Such instruments are suitable for large-scale studies, and for use with children and adolescents. Validation will require further testing for use in other countries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subjective health literacy: Development of a brief instrument for school-aged children

Paakkari

Torppa

Kannas

et al. 2016

Scand J Public Health

100

141

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, the results of this study were also intended to be used as a guide in the development of a relevant and reliable comprehensive measure of health literacy of school students in Finland. It is relevant therefore that this study utilised a specific methodology in utilising the concept of health literacy in its implementation, and reflectively using health literacy grounded learning outcomes as a foundation for subject content of a health literacy measurement tool, to compliment the health literacy component findings of an earlier systematic review (Ormshaw et al, 2013).…”

Section: He 1164mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, further interest has been paid to the exact role of health literacy as a learning outcome of school-based health education (Begoray et al, 2009;Paakkari and Paakkari, 2012;Ormshaw et al, 2013). This work builds on Nutbeam's three tier construct of health literacy (Nutbeam, 2000) as a theoretical starting point in differentiating the key components of health literacy in terms of complexity and probable impact on the individual's and society's behaviours and health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The desired learning outcomes of school-based nutrition/physical activity health education

et al. 2016

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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to utilise the collective opinion of a group of Finnish experts to identify the most important learning outcomes of secondary-level school-based health education, in the specific domains of physical activity and nutrition. Design/methodology/approach -The study uses a Delphi survey technique to collect the opinions of a group (panel) of Finnish experts. A list of learning outcomes was compiled via an extensive literature review of documents from all levels of health education (physical activity and nutrition) policy development and implementation. A general inductive analysis method was conducted, resulting in education themes which were then compiled into health literacy-constructed learning outcomes to present to the panel in the two Delphi rounds. Findings -The study question is answered in the form of a ranked list of the 24 most important learning outcomes of physical activity and nutrition education in Finnish schools. The analysis of variance pair-wise comparisons with Bonferroni indicated that six items were statistically possibly more important than the 18 others. The three most important items being: first, understand the importance of a varied and balanced diet; second, the ability to analyse their own lifestyle; third, understand the link between physical activity and health. The study also identified topics/themes which could be either under-represented or over-represented in the current literature and teaching. Originality/value -This study is the only one of its type, and researches an as yet unknown area of health education. The value of this study lies in its role in the further development of school health education, in terms of identifying the "most important" contemporary issues to teach in the classroom, and may also be used as a topic prioritisation and curriculum planning tool. desire to improve health, which in many approaches to health education is concerned with changing behaviour and not only empowerment through inculcation of knowledge and skills; the desired and anticipated outcome being lifestyle adaptation. This characteristic of health education means that focusing solely on knowledge inculcation is not enoug...

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“…The inadequacy of existing health literacy assessment tools has been pointed out by many researchers [11,58-61]. In addition, there are few assessments of any type that focus specifically on the health literacy of adolescents [6,11,62,63].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bit by Bit: Using Design-Based Research to Improve the Health Literacy of Adolescents

Subramaniam¹,

Jean²,

Taylor³

et al. 2015

JMIR Res Protoc

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Background Although a low health literacy level has been found to be among the most powerful predictors of poor health outcomes, there is very little research focused on assessing and improving the health literacy skills of adolescents, particularly those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. The vast majority of existing research focuses solely on reading comprehension, despite the fact that health literacy is actually a multifaceted concept, which entails many different types of skills. Objective The aim of this paper is to first mine existing literature to identify the many different skills that have been posited to constitute health literacy, and then, using this collection of skills as an overarching structure, to highlight the challenges that disadvantaged youth participating in our HackHealth after-school program encounter as they identify and articulate their health-related information needs, search for health-related information online, assess the relevance and credibility of this information, and manage and make use of it. Methods We utilized the design-based research method to design, implement, and revise our HackHealth program. To collect data regarding HackHealth participants’ health literacy skills and associated challenges, we used a variety of methods, including participant observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups, and logging of Web browser activities. We also collected data through specialized instructional activities and data collection forms that we developed for this purpose. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to analyze this data, as well as all of the artifacts that each student produced, including their final projects. Results We identified the various challenges that the 30 HackHealth participants faced in completing various health-related information activities during the course of the program. Based on these findings, we describe important implications for working with youth from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, how to assess and improve their health literacy skills, and offer specific recommendations for health literacy instruction aimed at this population. Conclusions With an increased societal focus on health and a shift from viewing patients as passive recipients of medical care to viewing them as active arbiters of their own health, today’s youth need to possess an array of health literacy skills to ensure that they can live long and healthy lives. Working with adolescents to help them develop and practice these skills will also help to break the cycle between poor health literacy and poor health outcomes, thereby reducing health disparities and improving the long-term outlook for the health of our nation.

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Measuring child and adolescent health literacy: a systematic review of literature

Cited by 82 publications

References 57 publications

Subjective health literacy: Development of a brief instrument for school-aged children

Subjective health literacy: Development of a brief instrument for school-aged children

The desired learning outcomes of school-based nutrition/physical activity health education

Bit by Bit: Using Design-Based Research to Improve the Health Literacy of Adolescents

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