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Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral and Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2024) | Viewed by 17885

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Dr. Beata Borowska

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Guest Editor

Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, 90-137 Lodz, Poland
Interests: anthropology; stress factors; adolescents; health; physical activity

Dr. Joanna Nieczuja-Dwojacka

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Guest Editor

Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, 01-815 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: human biology; including issues related to research methods in anthropology; auxology and clinical anthropology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Issues related to health behavior and health promotion in children and adolescents are an extremely important topic.

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods of growth and development.

Eating habits, an appropriate level of physical activity, and the avoidance of stimulants and risky behavior are values determined by parents and educators. Nevertheless, it is noted that children, adolescents, and young adults often have unhealthy lifestyles. There are various reasons for such behavior: the influence of peers, problems at home or school, or a change in the environment.

It is worth identifying factors that can promote a healthy lifestyle in children, adolescents, and young adults, as this has positive consequences in later years.

Health behaviours in youths continue into adult life. Establishing healthy behaviors to prevent disease is easier and more effective during childhood and adolescence than trying to change unhealthy behaviors during adulthood.

Dr. Beata Borowska
Dr. Joanna Nieczuja-Dwojacka
Guest Editors

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Keywords

health behavior
health promotion
childhood
adolescents
physical activity
smoking
alcohol
risky behavior

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Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physical Activity Outcomes of a Culturally Tailored, Father-Focused, and Family-Centered Health Promotion Program for Mexican-Heritage Families: ¡Haz Espacio Para Papi! (Make Room for Daddy)

by M. Renée Umstattd Meyer, Tyler Prochnow, Marilyn E. Wende, Kelly R. Ylitalo, Rodney X. Sturdivant, Cassandra M. Johnson, Haley Delgado, Stewart G. Trost, Luis Gómez and Joseph R. Sharkey

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(11), 1475; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21111475 - 6 Nov 2024

Viewed by 845

Abstract

Despite the health benefits of physical activity (PA), many individuals do not meet PA recommendations. Family-centered PA approaches, particularly active engagement by Mexican-heritage fathers, may support family PA. This study reports PA outcomes of a culturally tailored, father-focused, and family-centered, program for Mexican-heritage families. Promotora researchers recruited participating families (n = 59, n = 42 complete cases), consisting of children (mean age: 10.1 [SD = 0.9]), fathers, and mothers from five randomly selected geographic clusters in low-resourced colonias in south Texas, in a stepped-wedge randomized design. PA was measured using wrist-worn ActiGraph GT9X accelerometers. Statistical analyses for moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), light PA (LPA), and sedentary time for the child, father, and mother were conducted using linear mixed models. The findings were as follows: children had no significant changes in MVPA (p = 0.18), LPA (p = 0.52), or sedentary behavior (p = 0.74); fathers had no significant changes in MVPA (p = 0.94), LPA (p = 0.17), or sedentary behavior (p = 0.15); and mothers had a significant decrease in LPA (p < 0.01), and no significant changes in MVPA (p = 0.66) or sedentary behavior (p = 0.77). Despite null results, this study provides an example of a culturally tailored, family-focused program implemented among Mexican-heritage families with limited PA resources and opportunities. Future PA interventions may require higher PA-focused doses over longer time periods to produce a significant change in LPA, MVPA, or sedentary time. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

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14 pages, 357 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of the LiiNK Intervention on Physical Activity and Obesity Rates among Children

by David Farbo, Yan Zhang, Robyn Braun-Trocchio and Deborah J. Rhea

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(10), 1304; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21101304 - 30 Sep 2024

Viewed by 1537

Abstract

Background: Obesity and inactivity among children are at an all-time high and have been steadily increasing in prevalence over the last thirty years. The school environment provides the ideal setting for reaching a large number of children across diverse populations in order to reverse these trends. However, there are many inconsistent results yielded by school-based physical activity interventions due to implementation length, time for activities, and the use of structured physical activities. The LiiNK Project^® is a whole-child intervention addressing these gaps by providing children 45–60 min of recess (unstructured, outdoor play) in their schools daily, while the control children are allowed to engage in recess for 30 min daily. The purpose of this study was to compare the physical activity intensity and obesity rates of third- and fourth-grade children participating in the LiiNK intervention, which provides 60 min of recess for third graders and 45 min for fourth graders, to those in a control group allowed 30 min of daily recess. Methods: The children were 8–10 years old (M = 9.2; 52% females and 48% males). The intervention children comprised 90 third graders and 100 fourth graders, and the control children comprised 101 third graders and 92 fourth graders. Physical activity levels were monitored using accelerometers to assess sedentary, light, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Obesity rates were evaluated using bio-electrical impedance analysis (BIA), in which body fat percentage is calculated based on normative values using age and sex in the equation. Results: The third-grade intervention children engaged in 13 more MVPA minutes and took 900 more steps daily than their control counterparts, and also presented a greater proportion of overweight children transitioning to a healthy weight status from the fall to the spring semester. Conversely, the fourth-grade control children increased their activity by 500 steps and 15 more MVPA minutes daily. Despite this, the intervention children overall demonstrated a reduction in body fat percentage, while the control children demonstrated an increase in body fat percentage. Conclusions: Ultimately, 60 min of unstructured, outdoor play in schools provides children the best opportunity to engage in MVPA, which may positively impact body fat percentages, offering a potential strategy for combatting childhood obesity in school settings. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

14 pages, 370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

School Health Promotion, the Body Mass Index z-Score, and Psychosocial Health in Primary Schools of the Netherlands

by Lisanne Vonk, Iris Eekhout, Tim Huijts, Mark Levels and Maria Jansen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(8), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21081073 - 15 Aug 2024

Viewed by 830

Abstract

Childhood overweight and psychosocial issues remain significant public health concerns. Schools worldwide implement health promotion programs to address these issues and to support the physical and psychosocial health of children. However, more insight is needed into the relation between these health-promoting programs and the Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score and psychosocial health of children, while taking into account how school factors might influence this relation. Therefore, we examined whether the variation between primary schools regarding the BMI z-score and psychosocial health of students could be explained by school health promotion, operationalized as Healthy School (HS) certification, general school characteristics, and the school population; we also examined to what extent the characteristics interact. The current study had a repeated cross-sectional design. Multilevel analyses were performed to calculate the variation between schools, and to examine the association between HS certification and our outcomes. Existing data of multiple school years on 1698 schools were used for the BMI z-score and on 841 schools for psychosocial health. The school level explained 2.41% of the variation in the BMI z-score and 2.45% of the variation in psychosocial health, and differences were mostly explained by parental socioeconomic status. Additionally, HS certification was associated with slightly lower BMI z-scores, but not with psychosocial health. Therefore, obtaining HS certification might contribute to the better physical health of primary school students in general. This might indicate that HS certification also relates to healthier lifestyles in primary schools, but further research should examine this. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

12 pages, 842 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parental Perceptions of the Impact of a Child’s Complex Chronic Condition: A Validation Study of the Impact on Family Scale

by Sandra Portela Alves, Ana Carolina Braz, Luís Graça and Anne Marie Fontaine

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(5), 642; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21050642 - 17 May 2024

Viewed by 2037

Abstract

The diagnosis of a child’s complex chronic illness may impact family relationships and cohesion. The Impact on Family Scale (IFS) is an instrument used to assess the parental perception of the effects of children’s chronic illness on family life. With a sample of 110 mothers and fathers between the ages of 29 and 50 who have a child with a complex chronic illness, we examine evidence of the validity of the IFS for use in Portugal within this specific family configuration, (1) comparing its factor structure with the original one; (2) assessing its reliability; and (3) evaluating its relationship with life satisfaction and family cohesion/acceptance. As expected, CFA analysis showed that IFS is a one-factor reliable instrument with 12 items (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.910), which are negatively correlated with satisfaction with life (r = −0.229, p = 0.016) and positively correlated with family acceptance and cohesion (r = 0.363; p < 0.001). The results support the validity of the IFS in families with children and adolescents with a complex chronic illness. The implications of the use of this instrument for research and professional practice is analyzed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

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14 pages, 697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intergenerational Changes in the Waist Circumference and Selected Associated Indicators among Children and Adolescents from Kraków (Poland), between 1983 and 2020

by Łukasz Kryst, Magdalena Żegleń, Julia Badzińska, Agnieszka Woronkowicz and Małgorzata Kowal

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(7), 5344; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20075344 - 31 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1621

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the direction of the secular changes in the waist and hips circumferences, as well as selected associated body proportions, among children and adolescents from Kraków, Poland. The study group included 8–18-year-olds examined in three cross-sectional studies (1983, 2010, and 2020). The analyzed characteristics included body height, circumferences of the waist and hips, which were used to calculate Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR), and Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR). There was a secular increase regarding the majority of the analyzed features, particularly for the younger children (i.e., prepubertal/early pubertal age). The trends were also especially evident when comparing the results of the 1983 series to the results of their peers examined in 2020. An opposite trend was noted in adolescent girls. The observed changes reflect the secular trend resulting from changes in body composition and fat distribution happening due to alterations in the lifestyle and socio-economic environment of the population over the years. It should also be stressed that the increase in the studied characteristics occurred mainly in younger children. This suggests that the observed changes may have resulted from a shift in the age of maturation and also from the personal and social motivators characteristic for late adolescence. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

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24 pages, 13189 KiB

Open AccessArticle

When Students Patronize Fast-Food Restaurants near School: The Effects of Identification with the Student Community, Social Activity Spaces and Social Liability Interventions

by Brennan Davis and Cornelia Pechmann

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(5), 4511; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054511 - 3 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3609

Abstract

US schools have fast-food restaurants nearby, encouraging student patronage, unhealthy consumption, and weight gain. Geographers have developed an activity space framework which suggests this nearby location effect will be moderated by whether people perceive the location as their activity space. Therefore, we study whether students perceive a fast-food restaurant near school as their activity space, and whether social marketing messages can change that perception. We conducted six studies: a secondary data analysis with 5986 students, a field experiment with 188 students, and four lab experiments with 188, 251, 178, and 379 students. We find that students who strongly identify with their student community patronize a fast-food restaurant near school (vs. farther away) because they view it as their activity space, while students who weakly identify do not. For example, in our field experiment, 44% vs. 7% of students who strongly identified with the student community patronized the near versus farther restaurant, while only 28% versus 19% of students who weakly identified patronized the near and farther restaurants comparably. We also find that to deter the strong identifiers, messages should convey that patronage is a social liability, e.g., portray student activism against fast food. We show that standard health messages do not change perceptions of restaurants as social activity spaces. Thus, to combat the problem of fast-food restaurants near schools causing unhealthy consumption, policy and educational interventions should focus on students who strongly identify with their student community and find ways to weaken their perceptions that fast-food restaurants near schools are their activity spaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

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11 pages, 342 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on the Body Characteristics, Proportion, and Health Behavior of Children Aged 6–12 Years

by Joanna Nieczuja-Dwojacka, Beata Borowska, Alicja Budnik, Justyna Marchewka-Długońska, Izabela Tabak and Katarzyna Popielarz

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(4), 3303; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043303 - 13 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2081

Abstract

Background: The research aimed to determine how socioeconomic factors influence the body structure and health behaviors of children in a suburban commune. Methods: Data from 376 children aged 6.78 to 11.82 years from Jabłonna, Poland, were analyzed. A questionnaire was used to gather information regarding the socioeconomic status and dietary habits of these children, and physical measurements such as height, weight, pelvic width, shoulder width, chest, waist, hip, and arm circumferences, and three skinfolds were taken. Hip index, pelvi-acromial index, Marty’s index, BMI (body mass index), WHR (waist–hip ratio), and the sum of three skinfolds were calculated. One-way analysis of variance, Student’s t-test, and X² test with p < 0.05 were used. Results: The size of the family and the level of education and occupation of the fathers had a significant impact on the body proportions of the children. Children from larger centers with more educated parents were seen to have healthier eating habits and higher levels of physical activity, and their parents were less likely to smoke cigarettes. Conclusions: It was concluded that the development environment of the parents, such as their level of education and profession, play a more important role than the size of birthplace. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

14 pages, 333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Implementation of Combined Lifestyle Interventions for Children with Overweight or Obesity: Experiences of Healthcare Professionals in Multiple Communities

by Jenneke J. E. H. Saat, Elke Naumann, Gerdine A. J. Fransen, Lieneke Voss, Koos van der Velden and Willem J. J. Assendelft

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2156; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032156 - 25 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1515

Abstract

Background: To counteract children with obesity, different protocols for combined lifestyle interventions (CLIs) are implemented by healthcare providers (HCPs). To understand the effects of CLI, we studied the implementation process, facilitators and barriers experienced by HCPs. Methods: A multiple case study design in which community-based CLIs (n = 4), implemented in a total of ten different communities, are conceptualized as a “case”. Qualitative data were collected via group interviews among HCPs (n = 48) regarding their implementation protocol, their network involvement and the adoption of the CLI in a community. Transcripts were coded and analysed using ATLAS.ti. Results: Barriers were the absence of a proper protocol, the low emphasis on the construction of the network and difficulty in embedding the CLI into the community. Funding for these activities was lacking. Facilitating factors were the involvement of a coordinator and to have everyone’s role regarding signalling, diagnosis, guidance and treatment clearly defined and protocolled. HCPs suggested adding certain professions to their team because they lacked expertise in parenting advice and providing mental support to children. Conclusions: Carrying out and adapting the content of the CLI to the community was experienced as easier compared to the management of the organizational aspects of the CLI. For these aspects, separate funding is essential. In the future, mapping the characteristics of a community will help to clarify this influence on the implementation even better. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

14 pages, 1573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Alignment of the Sternum and Sacrum as a Marker of Sitting Body Posture in Children

by Wojciech Piotr Kiebzak, Arkadiusz Łukasz Żurawski and Michał Kosztołowicz

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 16287; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316287 - 5 Dec 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2405

Abstract

An analysis of literature on the methods of assuming a sitting position and the results of our own research indicated the need to search for biomechanical parameters and existing relationships that would enable a description of sitting body posture. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the alignment of the body of sternum and sacrum and the changes in the thoracic and lumbar spine curvatures in children. The study involved 113 subjects aged 9–13 years. A planned simultaneous measurement of the angle parameters of the alignment of the body of sternum and sacrum relative to the body’s sagittal axis and the angle parameters of the thoracic and lumbar spine curvatures was performed during a single examination session. The proposed markers of alignment in the corrected sitting body posture are characterized by homogeneous results. A high measurement repeatability was observed when determining the corrected body posture in the study setting. It was noted that changes in the alignment of the body of sternum and sacrum resulted in changes in the thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angle values, which may be an important component of clinical observations of sitting body posture in children. Implementing the body of sternum alignment angle of about 64° relative to the body’s sagittal axis in clinical practice as one of the objectives of postural education may be the target solution for sitting body posture correction in children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Health Promotion in Children and Adolescents)

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