Malcolm Thomas

Post-16 Students' Perceptions to Health and Healthy Eating in Welsh Secondary Schools.

Purpose – The aim of this study was to assess how post‐16 students in Wales conceptualized health and healthy eating.Design/methodology/approach – A health survey questionnaire was completed by 297 post‐16 students who were pursuing Biology at A level in year 12. The questionnaire was issued towards the end of the summer term in year 12 which ensured that at that stage in their A level studies, all students had received teaching on the nutritional and biochemical component of the syllabus they were taking.Findings – For the majority of respondents, and particularly males, being healthy was seen as the absence of illness and having the capacity to function as expected whereas female students significantly reported the importance of positive health behaviours, such as the need for exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet. Of concern, only a small percentage of the respondents reported the importance of eating fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet. Despite an increased emphasis on health issu...

The health promoting status of secondary schools in Wales pre‐ and post‐local government reorganisation: perspectives of health education co‐ordinators

This study assesses the influence of local government reorganisation on health education provision and support in Welsh secondary schools. The study was conducted in two stages, shortly before, and 31 months after, a local government reorganisation. Respondents for the study were a sample of health education co‐ordinators from 23 secondary schools that represented seven of the eight local education authorities prior to the local government reorganisation in April 1996. Findings revealed several obstacles to schools becoming more health promoting. Lack of time, demands of the National Curriculum, low profile and status given to Personal and Social Education programmes, lack of expertise amongst staff, and the pressure exerted by league tables, were commonly reported by co‐ordinators. The importance of in‐service training for all staff and the need for stronger community and parental links was only raised by a few. The research also suggests that schools are becoming more reliant on health promotion units as opposed to the advisory support in their locality.

Validation of a questionnaire to measure sexual health knowledge and understanding (Sexual Health Questionnaire) in Nepalese secondary school: A psychometric process.

Background: School-based sex education has the potential to prevent unwanted pregnancy and to promote positive sexual health at the individual, family and community level. Objectives: To develop and validate a sexual health questionnaire to measure young peoples’ sexual health knowledge and understanding (SHQ) in Nepalese secondary school. Materials and Methods: Secondary school students (n = 259, male = 43.63%, female = 56.37%) and local experts (n = 9, male = 90%, female = 10%) were participated in this study. Evaluation processes were; content validity (>0.89), plausibility check (>95), item-total correlation (>0.3), factor loading (>0.4), principal component analysis (4 factors Kaisers criterion), Chronbachs alpha (>0.65), face validity and internal consistency using test-retest reliability (P > 0.05). Results: The principal component analysis revealed four factors to be extracted; sexual health norms and beliefs, source of sexual health information, sexual health knowledge and understanding, and level of sexual awareness. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy demonstrated that the patterns of correlations are relatively compact (>0.80). Chronbachs alpha for each factors were above the cut-off point (0.65). Face validity indicated that the questions were clear to the majority of the respondent. Moreover, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the responses to the items at two time points at seven weeks later. Conclusions: The finding suggests that SHQ is a valid and reliable instrument to be used in schools to measure sexual health knowledge and understanding. Further analysis such as structured equation modelling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis could make the questionnaire more robust and applicable to the wider school population.

Nepalese school students’ views about sexual health knowledge and understanding

ABSTRACT Background: School-based sex education is a strategy that can help prevent sexual and reproductive health-related problems. In Nepal, sex education is taught to secondary school students; however, it is thought that the approach taken to school-based sexual health education (e.g. the type of student-learning materials) is not sufficient to address the needs of the students. Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the views and beliefs of Nepalese secondary school students about different aspects of sexual health knowledge and understanding, in a school context. Design and Methods: A total of eight focus group discussions were conducted in community-based secondary schools in Nepal. All necessary ethical requirements were obtained before the collection of the data from the schools. The total number of students participating was 78; there were between 9 and 11 students per focus group discussion. The students’ ages ranged from 14 to 17 years. Transcriptions of the focus group discussions were made and qualitative, thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Analysis of the data from the focus group discussions suggested that the majority of the students had curiosity and wished to understand more about sexual health. However, it appeared that the students typically felt too shy and embarrassed to ask sexual health-related questions of their teachers. There also seemed to be a considerable ‘communication gap’ that prevented the students talking about sexual health with their parents. Students referred to the influences and roles of local cultures, media and the internet. A majority of participants acknowledged the need for knowledge and understanding about sexual and reproductive health. Conclusions: This study suggests opportunities for enhancing the sexual health knowledge and understanding of school students in Nepal by developing suitable and relevant school-based educational approaches. For example, schools could involve the young people themselves in developing and delivering enhanced sex education programmes.

Erratum to: Health literacy in childhood and youth: a systematic review of definitions and models

Erratum to: Health literacy in childhood and youth: a systematic review of definitions and models. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-017-4365-x. Available in RepositoriUM at: http://hdl.handle.net/1822/45479