Innovations in School Health Education

A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032). This special issue belongs to the section "School Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 14403

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Sport Science, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: health-related quality of life; health promotion; health education; physical and sports activities as a strategy to promote a healthy society; physical activity interventions; exercise training physical exercise; physical health; assessment of physical capacity; health; quality of life in groups of subjects and active lifestyle (elderly; children, type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, etc.); balance and muscle strength; rehabilitation; osteoporosis; fall prevention; validity and reliability of physical fitness testing; active tourism; outdoor behavioral healthcare; wilderness therapy; forest bathing; shinrin-yoku
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Guest Editor
Research Group on Physical and Health Literacy and Health-Related Quality of Life (PHYQOL), Faculty of Sport Science, University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: health; children; chronic disease; physical condition; physical literacy; obesity; well-being
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Social Impact and Innovation in Health (InHEALTH), University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: caregiving; care behavior; dementia; cardiorespiratory fitness; skinfold thickness; body mass; decubitus; wounds and injuries; intensive care unit

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Guest Editor
Social Impact and Innovation in Health (InHEALTH), University of Extremadura, 10003 Cáceres, Spain
Interests: health management; public health administration; health service assessment; medical laws and legislation; bioethical issues legislation and jurisprudence; bioethics; medical ethics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Health education is any combination of learning experiences designed to facilitate voluntary actions conducive to health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health, as well as sexual and reproductive health education.

The school health education curriculum consists of planned learning experiences that will help students achieve desirable attitudes and practices related to critical health issues. Thus, this Special Issue is intended to foreground and celebrate work that consists of educational frameworks or core competencies to guide a new generation of public health work. What innovations in experiential education, and novel approaches to course delivery have you championed? How are you co-creating knowledge with students and colleagues? How are you evaluating the efficacy and learning outcomes of this innovative teaching and learning? How does our education help students understand and work with people in the context of their living realities? Are you working in the context of an education unit that does not embrace this work? What are your strategies for moving ahead in this innovative space? Is there any use for social and behavioral science theories in the development of health promotion interventions?

Prof. Dr. José Carmelo Adsuar Sala
Dr. Jorge Carlos-Vivas
Dr. Maria Mendoza-Muñoz
Dr. Laura Muñoz-Bermejo
Dr. Rafael Gómez-Galán
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • school health education
  • health promotion
  • health literacy
  • health education
  • health management
  • physical literacy
  • health-related quality of life
  • active rest
  • physically active learning
  • health promoting schools
  • body composition

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1035 KiB  
Article
School Parent Attitudes and Perceptions Relating to Animals, Animal-Assisted Interventions, and the Support of Children’s Mental Health
by Rhoda A. Leos, Paula M. Cuccaro, John R. Herbold and Belinda F. Hernandez
Healthcare 2023, 11(7), 963; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11070963 - 28 Mar 2023
Viewed by 1997
Abstract
Growing awareness of the negative effects of trauma has led San Antonio, TX, school districts to expand efforts that can help mitigate these effects and support mental health. Given the literature around the psychological benefits of human–animal interactions, the concept of incorporating animals [...] Read more.
Growing awareness of the negative effects of trauma has led San Antonio, TX, school districts to expand efforts that can help mitigate these effects and support mental health. Given the literature around the psychological benefits of human–animal interactions, the concept of incorporating animals in treatments or interventions is not a new one. While schools have begun considering or utilizing animal-assisted interventions (AAIs), there have been limited efforts to understand existing perceptions relating to animals and AAIs among school parents in this Hispanic community. To address this gap, a cross-sectional study consisting of a 34-item survey was conducted to explore attitudes, knowledge, and perceptions relating to animals (i.e., pets), AAIs, and the need for supporting young children’s mental health among parents. A total of 187 surveys from two school districts were completed and utilized for analysis. The study’s findings demonstrate that parents acknowledged the importance of addressing mental health issues early on and were aware of the health benefits human–animal interactions can provide. Furthermore, parents had positive attitudes toward pets and positive perceptions toward AAIs in schools. Some implementation concerns were expressed relating to safety and well-being. Overall, these findings suggest there is existing parent support in using AAIs as a trauma-informed strategy and school innovation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in School Health Education)
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11 pages, 793 KiB  
Article
Linking Learning Environment and Critical Thinking through Emotional Intelligence: A Cross-Sectional Study of Health Sciences Students
by Antonios Christodoulakis, George Kritsotakis, Panagiotis Gkorezis, Panayota Sourtzi and Ioanna Tsiligianni
Healthcare 2023, 11(6), 826; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11060826 - 11 Mar 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3562
Abstract
Background: Health sciences educators should increase the critical thinking of their students as this may improve the quality of care. However, this is rarely considered as a critical point in teaching, despite studies identifying factors such as the learning environment and emotional intelligence [...] Read more.
Background: Health sciences educators should increase the critical thinking of their students as this may improve the quality of care. However, this is rarely considered as a critical point in teaching, despite studies identifying factors such as the learning environment and emotional intelligence as increasing critical thinking at an undergraduate level. Thus, there is a need to better explore these factors and investigate interrelations and ways of improving critical thinking, especially in the critical field of healthcare students (nursing and medicine). Objectives: The present study aimed to examine the potential relationships between critical thinking with emotional intelligence and the learning environment. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study with 208 first year health sciences university students of two nursing departments and one medicine department from three universities in Greece. The Critical Thinking Disposition Scale, Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure, and Trait Emotional Intelligence-Short Form questionnaires were used to assess critical thinking, the education environment, and emotional intelligence, respectively. Results: The results demonstrate that critical thinking was positively related to emotional intelligence (β = 0.82, p < 0.001), but not to the learning environment (β = 1.06, p = 0.30). However, a structural equation modeling analysis supported the indirect relationship between the learning environment and critical thinking through emotional intelligence (M = 1.10, CI = 0.13–2.17, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Emotional intelligence may be the underlying mechanism for achieving critical thinking if it is well applied and cultivated in a learning environment. Therefore, universities could modify their curricula and place emotional intelligence at the epicenter of teaching. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in School Health Education)
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12 pages, 1179 KiB  
Article
Mediating Effect of Motivation on the Relationship of Fitness with Volitional High-Intensity Exercise in High-School Students
by André Bento, Luis Carrasco and Armando Raimundo
Healthcare 2023, 11(6), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11060800 - 8 Mar 2023
Viewed by 2166
Abstract
We aimed to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and motivation in adolescents and analyze if the associations of physical fitness with volitional exercise intensity in adolescents are mediated by motivation. The participants were 108 adolescents (58 girls 16.0 ± 0.92 years). Cardiorespiratory [...] Read more.
We aimed to investigate the relationship between physical fitness and motivation in adolescents and analyze if the associations of physical fitness with volitional exercise intensity in adolescents are mediated by motivation. The participants were 108 adolescents (58 girls 16.0 ± 0.92 years). Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was assessed using the Yo-YoITL1, and the push-up test was used to evaluate strength. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis. The intervention was applied in the first 10–15 min of each Physical Education class (PEC), twice a week, for 16 weeks and ranged from 14 to 20 all-out bouts intervals, adopting a 2:1 work to rest ratio. A cut-point of ≥90% of the maximal heart rate (HR) was used as a criterion for satisfactory compliance with high-intensity exercise. Volition intensity was assessed through a forearm wearable plethysmography heart rate sensor to ensure compliance with the exercise stimulus at the predetermined target HR zone. Motivation was estimated with a validated questionnaire (BREQ-3). Mediation effects were estimated using bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals and were deemed significant if zero was not included in the intervals, and values below 0.05 were considered to indicate statistical significance. The mediation analysis revealed a non-significant indirect effect of physical fitness through motivation on exercise intensity, specifically on CRF (B = −0.0355, 95% BootCI [−0.5838; 0.4559]), muscular fitness (B = −0.7284, 95% BootCI [−2.0272; 0.2219]) and body fat (B = 0.5092, 95% BootCI [−0.4756; 1.6934]). These results suggest that high or low values of motivation did not increase or decrease volitional high-intensity exercise, and lower levels of fitness (CRF, muscular and body fat) were associated with higher volitional exercise intensity. These findings highlight the need for regular moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise for maintaining or improving physical fitness, regardless of motivation regulations, and emphasize the importance of new strategies in PEC with acute vigorous-intensity activities that retain the health-enhancing effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in School Health Education)
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10 pages, 302 KiB  
Article
Descriptive Study of Attitudes towards Corporal Expression in Physical Education Students in a Region of Spain
by Jorge Rojo-Ramos, Noelia Mayordomo-Pinilla, María Mendoza-Muñoz, José C. Adsuar, David Manuel Mendoza-Muñoz and Carmen Galán-Arroyo
Healthcare 2023, 11(4), 549; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11040549 - 13 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1433
Abstract
(1) Background: In recent years, there has been increasing interest in understanding the factors that determine students’ attitudes and interest in learning. The information that can be extracted from students’ attitudes is essential for teachers to plan their classes to capture their attention [...] Read more.
(1) Background: In recent years, there has been increasing interest in understanding the factors that determine students’ attitudes and interest in learning. The information that can be extracted from students’ attitudes is essential for teachers to plan their classes to capture their attention and promote learning. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether there were significant differences between the genders in the perception of students from Extremadura towards Corporal Expression (CE) in Physical Education (PE) classrooms. (2) Methods: A single-measure descriptive and correlational cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 889 PE students in the Compulsory Secondary Education (CSE) stage from public schools in Extremadura, Spain, participated in the study; the subject had a mean age of 14.58 (SD = 1.47) and a BMI of 20.63 (SD = 3.46). Variables related to gender, age, height, and weight of the participants and a questionnaire on attitudes towards Corporal Expression were included. (3) Conclusions: Girls showed a more positive perception of the CE contents of the PE subject than boys; the latter showed a greater indifference to and a lower preference for these contents compared to other contents of the subject. On a general level, participants valued CE with a certain degree of positivity regarding its formative and educational usefulness and the expression of feelings and emotional self-management, and the pupils agreed with the methods and means used by the teacher to transmit the learning of CE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in School Health Education)
13 pages, 889 KiB  
Article
Improving Learning and Study Strategies in Undergraduate Medical Students: A Pre-Post Study
by Ivan Sisa, María Sol Garcés, Cristina Crespo-Andrade and Claudia Tobar
Healthcare 2023, 11(3), 375; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030375 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3507
Abstract
We aimed to describe the impact of a structured interventional program to improve learning and study skills in undergraduate medical students from a Latin American medical school. The interventional program’s design was based on diagnostic/prescriptive assessment test scores measuring ten scales. The program [...] Read more.
We aimed to describe the impact of a structured interventional program to improve learning and study skills in undergraduate medical students from a Latin American medical school. The interventional program’s design was based on diagnostic/prescriptive assessment test scores measuring ten scales. The program consisted of five tailored workshops. The cohort studied consisted of 81 third-year medical students. The outcome variable was the difference between “pre” and “post” test scores. The unadjusted score percentiles were used to compare improvement in learning and study skills. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess variation in the mean difference of the test scores by the number of workshops attended. The response rate was 100% (81/81) for the pre test and ~77% (62/81) for the post test. After the interventional program, nine out of ten scales showed statistical improvement, except for the scale of motivation. The scales with the highest and lowest percent change improvement were time management (66%, p-value: <0.001) and motivation (14.9%, p-value: 0.06). The students who attended more workshops obtained a higher percent change improvement in the post test. These findings suggest that through a well-designed interventional program, it is possible to improve learning and study skills among medical students. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in School Health Education)
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