Health Behaviour, Health Literacy and Mental Health in Children

Dear Colleagues,

The health behaviour of children is changing over time. In addition to well-known and traditional risk factors, new ones have emerged (e.g., the use of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products (IQOS), and video game or smartphone addiction) which influence not only the physical but also mental and emotional status of children and adolescents. Some special vulnerable groups (disabled people and ethnic minorities) are more affected; therefore, we must pay more attention to prevention in these groups. The COVID-19 epidemic was a totally new situation in the life of children and adolescents. During lockdown in most countries, distance (online) learning was introduced in schools as a teaching method, which, in some ways, unfavourably affected both the physical and mental health status of this demographic. The isolation and limited communication with peers may have also disrupted the adolescents’ mental health.  

It could also be an interesting question how we can measure the health literacy in children and whether there is any association between their health literacy and behaviour or health status.

The aim of this Special Issue is to give insight into the new trends in risk behaviours in children and to show what kind of innovative prevention methods are being implemented effectively in this field.

We invite original articles, review articles, and meta-analyses related to these topics. We hope that this Special Issue will contribute to a better understanding of current processes and can give new and innovative methodologies for prevention.

Dr. Attila Sárváry
Dr. Éva Bíró 
Guest Editors

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