IUHPE Position statement on health literacy: a practical vision for a health literate world

Since the 1990s, there has been a steep and steady rise in studies published, and national and international policies adopted, on health literacy. This surge in interest has focused on the definition of health literacy and its various measures, the relationship between health literacy, health promotion and a wide range of health and social outcomes, and increasingly, investment in policy and programs to improve health literacy in populations. The Position Statement is a mechanism by which we describe what we believe to be the current state of the art and how it can be promoted through adoption by key stakeholders

Generic health literacy measurement instruments for children and adolescents:a systematic review of the literature

Background 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. Method 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. Results 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. Conclusions 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 interventionspublishersversionPeer reviewe

Health literacy: a tool for health promotion

Objective: Assess the HL level of a Portuguese sample using the HLS-EU methodology, and compare it with the results published by the HLS-EU Consortium.N/

From homo urbanus to homo salus: the role of urban planning health literacy for health promotion

Saboga-Nunes L, Levin-Zamir D, McElhinney E, et al. From homo urbanus to homo salus: the role of urban planning health literacy for health promotion. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2018;28(Suppl. 4):205

Teachers' supporting students with parents having mental health problems. A scoping review

Children whose parents have mental health issues respond to associated familial stressors with symptomatic behaviors and are, themselves, at considerably higher risk of developing serious mental health problems. Teachers are the most likely professionals who are able to recognize behavior changes and mental health needs of children. This article aims to provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art research on teachers’ mental health literacy including how teachers identify and support these children. A scoping review was undertaken with six databases by using English and German search terms for articles published between January 1990 and July 2017. This review identifies a research gap in mental health (literacy) research for a major cause of mental health issues in children. There is little recognition of students’ familial environment in the research undertaken. The founded studies show that identifying affected children is difficult for teachers. If teachers identify those children, they have great uncertainties to work with this situation. Identified teachers’ responses are insufficient for children and mostly depends on individual attitudes and experience with mental health issues. Teachers are highly stressed by the child’s school situation and need support themselves to support children adequately. Better support for teachers is required in order to prepare them adequately to support children. Based on the results opportunities for teachers’ mental health literacy are discussed to expand teachers’ ability to promote mental health in children with parents having mental health issues as well as future research activities. Keywords: mental health promotion, school teachers, student, mental health literacy, family health.CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, IE, UMinho (FCT R&D unit 317), PortugalNational Funds through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) and co-financed by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI) through CIEC (Research Centre on Child Studies, of the University of Minho) with the reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Meeting in Viena 30 years after Ottawa: QuoVadis health promotion?

This study explores experts’ and practitioners’ opinions on the current trends that Health promotion (HP) faces in Portugal. The survey was carried out with several health stakeholders and results showed that HP is not well developed and a deeper reflection on the issue is needed.National Funds through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) and co-financed by European Regional Development Funds (FEDER) through the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI) through CIEC (Research Centre on Child Studies, of the University of Minho) with the reference POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007562CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, IE, UMinho (FCT R&D unit 317), Portugalinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio