Terveyskasvatus tutkimus- ja koulutusalana sekä arjen käytäntöinä

The article introduces the reader to the university training of health education experts, the various sectors within health education, health education research topics, and practical tasks and goals of health education. The four major tasks of health education are as follows: 1) educational task, 2) task of exciting interest, 3) mental health task, 4) task of promoting change. The various sectors of health education research were seen to include the following: theoretical health education research, health behaviour research, health education assessment research, and health education’s social research. Health education was given the following comprehensive definition: “The goal of health education is, through educational and communicative means, to support the healthy growth and development of people, to pass on educational health know-how, and to arouse health-promoting ideas for change, and to promote these aspirations aimed at change.”Artikkelissa esitellään terveyskasvatuksen yliopistollista asiantuntijakoulutusta, terveyskasvatustutkimuksen osa-alueita ja tutkimuskohteita sekä käytännön terveyskasvatuksen tehtäviä ja päämääriä. Terveyskasvatuksen neljä suurta tehtävää ovat sivistävä tehtävä, virittävä tehtävä, mielenterveystehtävä ja muutosta avustava tehtävä. Terveyskasvatustutkimuksen osa-alueina nähtiin terveyskasvatuksen teoreettinen tutkimus, terveyskäyttäytymistutkimus, terveyskasvatuksen arviointitutkimus sekä terveyskasvatuksen yhteiskunnallinen tutkimus. Terveyskasvatuksen kokonaisvaltaiseksi määritelmänä esitettiin seuraava: ”Terveyskasvatuksen tavoitteena on kasvatuksellisin ja viestinnällisin keinoin tukea ihmisen tervettä kasvua ja selviytymistä, välittää sivistyksellistä terveyspääomaa sekä virittää terveyttä edistäviä muutostoiveita ja avustaa näitä muutospyrkimyksiä”

Overweight Adolescents' Self-Perceived Weight and Weight Control Behaviour: HBSC Study in Finland 1994–2010

Introduction. Overweight and perception of being overweight, may lead adolescent to lose weight. The aim of the present study was to investigate overweight adolescents' self-perceived weight, body dissatisfaction, and weight control behaviour during 1994–2010 in Finland. Methods. The country-representative, cross-sectional data of 15-year olds were obtained from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, conducted in 1994 (N = 1194; males: 48%), 1998 (N = 1545; 49%), 2002 (N = 1745; 50%), 2006 (N = 1670; 47%), and 2010 (N = 2082; 48%). Results. The majority of overweight boys (62–69%) and girls (89–100%) assessed themselves as too fat, and their body image was lower than in nonoverweight adolescents. The highest prevalence of current weight controlling was found in 2006 in males (18%) and in 2010 in females (39%). Conclusion. The phenomena were current and gender differences notable, but there was no statistically significant difference in overweight adolescents' self-perceived weight, body dissatisfaction, or weight control behaviour between survey years

Kehityssuuntia nuorten eurooppalaisten juomatavoissa

Summary: Trends in the drinking habits of young Europeans

Test-retest reliability of selected items of Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey questionnaire in Beijing, China

Abstract Background Children's health and health behaviour are essential for their development and it is important to obtain abundant and accurate information to understand young people's health and health behaviour. The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is among the first large-scale international surveys on adolescent health through self-report questionnaires. So far, more than 40 countries in Europe and North America have been involved in the HBSC study. The purpose of this study is to assess the test-retest reliability of selected items in the Chinese version of the HBSC survey questionnaire in a sample of adolescents in Beijing, China. Methods A sample of 95 male and female students aged 11 or 15 years old participated in a test and retest with a three weeks interval. Student Identity numbers of respondents were utilized to permit matching of test-retest questionnaires. 23 items concerning physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep and substance use were evaluated by using the percentage of response shifts and the single measure Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for all respondents and stratified by gender and age. Items on substance use were only evaluated for school children aged 15 years old. Results The percentage of no response shift between test and retest varied from 32% for the item on computer use at weekends to 92% for the three items on smoking. Of all the 23 items evaluated, 6 items (26%) showed a moderate reliability, 12 items (52%) displayed a substantial reliability and 4 items (17%) indicated almost perfect reliability. No gender and age group difference of the test-retest reliability was found except for a few items on sedentary behaviour. Conclusions The overall findings of this study suggest that most selected indicators in the HBSC survey questionnaire have satisfactory test-retest reliability for the students in Beijing. Further test-retest studies in a large and diverse sample, as well as validity studies, should be considered for the future Chinese HBSC study.peerReviewe

Daily physical activity in Finnish adolescents with long term illnesses or disabilities: psychosocial associations with participation in sports club

Background: Physical activity (PA) in adolescence with long term illnesses or disabilities (LTID) is a public health concern. One way of increasing PA is through participation in sports clubs. Since sports clubs are organised and regular, there are expected to be differences in motivation for physical activity between adolescents that are members and non-members. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of psychosocial factors on sports club membership and daily PA. Methods: Finnish adolescents with self-reported LTID (n=1006) took part in the WHO collaborative Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study in 2002 and 2010. Daily self-reported moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) was the outcome variable. Psychosocial variables included intention for future PA, self-perceptions, and educational aspirations. Age and sports club membership was included in binary logistic regression analyses Analyses were done separately for boys and girls.  Results: Adolescents with LTID who were sports club members were two times more likely to be active daily than non-members. However, for girls, there was no significant difference between members and non-members. Moreover, definite intention for future PA, higher self-perceptions, and educational aspirations to other education or training than general upper secondary school were significant predictors. Conclusions: Adolescents with LTID need encouragement to be active daily. One possible way to achieve this is through sports club participation. Implementing adaptive motivating techniques in sports clubs is especially important for girls in clubs. More research is needed on the associations of daily MVPA with different educational aspirations  for adolescents with LTID

Attempts to lose weight among overweight and non-overweight adolescents: a cross-national survey

Background: Despite the global obesity epidemic, few studies have performed cross-national comparisons of adolescents' attempts to lose weight and weight control practices. This study aims to investigate matters mentioned above by weight status in Europe, Israel, and North America. Methods: Nationally representative samples of adolescents from over 30 countries completed an anonymous, standardized questionnaire as part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children 2001/2002 survey. The prevalence and likelihood of attempts to lose weight were determined. The effect of weight status, self-perception of overweight, age and country of residence upon the likelihood of current attempts to lose weight were evaluated using multilevel multivariate logistic regression in separate analyses for boys and girls. The study also presented the prevalence of weight control practices of overweight and non-overweight adolescents who had controlled their weight in seven countries. Results: In general, overweight and obese adolescents were more likely to be engaged in current attempts to lose weight and had tried to control their weight during the past 12 months more often than non-overweight adolescents. Besides weight status, self-perception of overweight and age were significant individual-level factors determining current attempts to lose weight. Country of residence was a significant second-level factor but no clear geographical pattern was found. Several gender-related differences existed. Conclusion: The findings indicated that most overweight adolescents were motivated to reduce their weight. The importance of promoting a healthy body image for all adolescents was highlighted by the fact that self-perception of overweight was found to be the most important factor leading to attempts to lose weight.peerReviewe

Policy, competence and participation: empirical evidence for a multilevel health promotion model

This paper uses data from a European health promotion evaluation study (MAREPS) to empirically test some fundamental assumptions of health promotion theory. Analysis shows that both the competence of individual actors and the opportunities provided for by health-promoting policies are significant predictors of participation in health promotion action. It also demonstrates effects of health promotion values on such action. Moreover, people's perception of their own political efficacy, e.g. their influence on community decisions that effect their health, turns out to be a significant predictor of self-rated health. In conclusion, the paper encourages further research to investigate the effectiveness of health-promoting policy strategies within a multilevel health promotion framework. As the present results indicate, effective health-promoting policies may create opportunities that enable individuals and communities to increase control over the determinants of health, and thereby improve their healt

Lasten hyvinvoinnin tila kansallisten indikaattoreiden kuvaamana

Lasten hyvinvoinnin seuranta on yksi lapsiasiavaltuutetun keskeisimmistä tehtävistä. Tämä raportti tarkastelee lasten hyvinvointia YK:n lapsen oikeuksien yleissopimuksen mukaisesti jaotellun kuuden ulottuvuuden valossa. Nämä kuusi ulottuvuutta ovat materiaalinen elintaso, terveys, koulu ja oppiminen, perhe, vapaa-aika ja osallisuus sekä valtion ja kuntien tarjoama tuki ja suojelu. Tässä raportissa lasten hyvinvoinnin ulottuvuuksia on tarkasteltu 58 indikaattorin avulla. Indikaattoreita on arvioitu tiedon saatavuuden, käytettävyyden ja luotettavuuden näkökulmasta. Raportti sisältää myös toimenpidesuosituksia lasten hyvinvointitiedon seurantaan. Katsaus on toteutettu yhteistyössä Jyväskylän yliopiston kanssa. Sen taustalla on vuosia kestänyt yhteistyö opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön kanssa lasten ja nuorten hyvinvoinnin kansallisten indikaattoreiden kehittämiseksi