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Does Better Health-Related Knowledge Predict Favorable Health Behavior in Adolescents?

ABSTRACT: The importance of puberty on later health status and behavior is indisputable, which also means that it is worth making intervention efforts during this period of life. However, whether better health-related knowledge is correlated with favorable health behavior in adolescents is an important, still unanswered question. Our objective was to examine this relationship. The participants were ninth-grade secondary school students. Data were collected using anonymous, self-administered questionnaires. The knowledge-related questions were compiled by the authors, while the questions concerning eating habits, physical activity, demographic and socioeconomic data were taken from the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey. The relationship between knowledge and behavior was investigated with structural equation modeling adjusted for gender, age, and socioeconomic status. The results demonstrated a good fit to the data, but better knowledge was not related to behavior in our sample. This finding suggests that adolescents' health behavior is highly influenced by the living context; therefore, appropriate knowledge is necessary but not sufficient to improve adolescents' behavior. Hence, comprehensive health promotion programs could provide solutions for encouraging healthy behavior.

SUBMITTER: Nagy-Penzes G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7084625 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Does Better Health-Related Knowledge Predict Favorable Health Behavior in Adolescents?

Nagy-Pénzes Gabriella G Vincze Ferenc F Sándor János J Bíró Éva É

International journal of environmental research and public health 20200304 5

The importance of puberty on later health status and behavior is indisputable, which also means that it is worth making intervention efforts during this period of life. However, whether better health-related knowledge is correlated with favorable health behavior in adolescents is an important, still unanswered question. Our objective was to examine this relationship. The participants were ninth-grade secondary school students. Data were collected using anonymous, self-administered questionnaires ...[more]

PMID: 32143530

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Project description:Objective: To analyze the associations between favorable physical and psychosocial work factors and health behavior among healthcare employees (nurses and care assistants) with health complaints. Methods: The study was based on seven iterations (2001-2013) of a biennial Swedish work environment survey linked with data from public registers. In all, 7,180 healthcare employees, aged 16-64 years, who had reported health complaints, were included. Health behavior was operationalized through four combinations of sickness absence (SA) and sickness presence (SP): 'good health behavior' (Low SP/Low SA), 'recovery behavior' (Low SP/High SA), 'risk behavior' (High SP/Low SA), and 'poor health behavior' (High SP/High SA). Odds ratios (OR) were calculated by multinomial logistic regression with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: After adjusting for socio-demographic factors, those who rarely worked in strenuous postures had an increased probability of having 'good health behavior' (OR range: nurses 1.72-2.02; care assistants 1.46-1.75). Those who rarely experienced high job demands had increased odds for having 'good health behavior' (OR: nurses 1.81; OR range: care assistants 1.67-2.13), while having good job control was found to be related to 'good health behavior' only among care assistants (OR range 1.30-1.68). In the full model, after also considering differences in health, none of the work environment indicators affected 'good health behavior' among nursing professionals. Among care assistants, rarely having heavy physical work and having low psychosocial demands remained significantly associated with 'good health behavior' (OR range: 1.24-1.58) and 'recovery behavior' (OR range: 1.33-1.70). No associations were found between favorable work environment factors and 'risk behavior' among the two groups of employees. However, positive assessments of the work situation were associated with 'good health behavior,' even after controlling for all confounders for both groups (OR range: 1.43-2.69). Conclusions: 'Good health behavior' and 'recovery behavior' among care assistants were associated with favorable physical and psychosocial working conditions even when health was considered. This implies that reduced sickness presence and sickness absence among care assistants can be achieved through improved physical and psychosocial working conditions.

Project description:It is well-documented that intelligence quotient (IQ) is a poor predictor of adaptive behavior scores in autism, with autistic children having lower adaptive behavior scores than would be predicted based on their IQ scores. Differences in motor skills may explain the variability in their adaptive behavior scores. The current study examined how motor skills might explain autistic individuals' low adaptive behavior scores and which individual components of IQ (i.e., verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning) and motor skills (i.e., manual dexterity, aiming and catching, and balance) may drive this effect. We examined the associations between IQ, motor skills, calibrated severity, and adaptive behavior scores in 45 autistic children and adolescents. Using a t-test, we found a significant difference (p <0.001) between full-scale IQ and adaptive behavior scores, indicating that our participants' adaptive behavior scores were lower than would be expected given their full-scale IQ. Using a linear regression, we investigated whether motor skills predicted adaptive behavior in autistic children and adolescents and found that motor skills scores were associated with adaptive behavior scores (p = 0.022). To further investigate these associations, we used another linear regression to examine how individual components of IQ and motor skills predicted adaptive behavior scores in autistic children and adolescents. Our results indicated that manual dexterity scores were associated with adaptive behavior scores (p = 0.036). These findings clearly illustrate the need for further understanding of autistic individuals' difficulties with adaptive behavior and the potential role of motor skill difficulties that may underlie these difficulties. LAY SUMMARY: Autistic children have lower adaptive behavior scores (e.g., daily living skills, social skills, communication) than intelligence scores (e.g., verbal and perceptual skills) along with difficulties with motor skills. Motor skills may explain the gap between adaptive behavior and intelligence. We found motor skills were associated with adaptive behavior in autistic children and adolescents. In particular, hand coordination was associated with adaptive behavior. We need to better understand how autistic individuals' motor skills impact their adaptive behavior to provide effective supports.

Project description:BackgroundImprovement of health literacy, health behavioural change, creating a supportive physical and social environment to be more conducive to health should be the focus of child and adolescent public health. The concept of Health Promoting School initiated by World Health Organization aims to move beyond individual behavioural change and to consider organisational structure change such as improvement of the school's physical and social environment. The aim of this study is identification of the key indicators for successful implementation of Health Promoting School by analysing the findings of the school health profile based on the structured framework of Hong Kong Healthy School Award Scheme and the health status of students investigated by the Hong Kong Student Health Survey.MethodsThis is a retrospective correlation study. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was utilised to analyse for significant improvement of school health profile measured at baseline (n = 104) and among those schools implemented the Hong Kong Healthy School Award Scheme (n = 54). Those indicators showing statistical significance were chosen to be part of the core indicators reflecting effective Health Promoting School. Each of those selected core indicators was then correlated with the related student health outcomes measured by the Hong Kong Student Health Survey Questionnaire to further identify the core indicators.ResultsA total of 20 core indicators among all the six Key Areas of Health Promoting School (6 indicators under action competencies, 2 under community link, 2 under physical environment, 2 under social environment, 4 under healthy school policies, 1 under services of school health protection) have been identified with the method mentioned above.ConclusionsThis study has identified the indicators with most significant impact on a wide range of health related outcomes. Those are key indicators for motivating positive change of the schools and students. They can be considered as school performance indicators to help schools embarking their Health Promoting School journey as another key education objective.

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Does Better Health-Related Knowledge Predict Favorable Health Behavior in Adolescents?

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Does Better Health-Related Knowledge Predict Favorable Health Behavior in Adolescents?

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