Physical Education Teachers’ Health Literacy: First Evidence from Lithuania
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PROVIDER: S-EPMC11241491 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul
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Project description:Health literacy as a set of competencies to promote and sustain health has received significant research attention, particularly in studies on adults. Improving health literacy at an early age is crucial to personal health and development, so there is a need to investigate the health literacy of school-aged children. The aims of this study were to determine the level of subjective health literacy among adolescents in Lithuania and to examine the association between health literacy, school achievement, health education in schools, and family affluence. Health literacy was assessed using a brief Health Literacy for School-Aged Children instrument on a representative sample of 2369 subjects (from the 7th to 10th grades). Overall, 12.1% of all respondents had low, 70.5% moderate, and 17.4% a high level of health literacy. School achievements were found to be a significant predictor of health literacy, as were the number of school-based health promotion events. Family affluence also predicted an increased level of health literacy. This study was the first nationally representative examination of this topic in Lithuania and it highlighted the alarming finding that less than one-fifth of adolescents had high health literacy.
| S-EPMC6765916 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In recent years, physical literacy (PL) has gained a great deal of attention in global academia. Children's physical activity (PA) participation is severely underrepresented today, and students' participation in PA and PL level development is strongly dependent on the PL levels of PE teachers. This study aims to offer information for PE teachers to improve their PL levels and for the future development of tools to assess the PL of PE teachers through a systematic review of studies assessing PL of PE teachers. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) was used to conduct a comprehensive and systematic search in six databases-Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, ProQuest; and SportDiscus, and a total of 671 papers were retrieved, but after removing duplicates, article identification, and screening only eight papers met the inclusion criteria. This study's results indicate a paucity of research related to PL among PE teachers, focusing on children, students, older adults, and children with disabilities. PE teachers performed poorly in the physical competence domain and better in the cognitive and affective domains, with a moderate level of overall PL. Only one instrument is currently available to assess PE teachers' (perceived) PL, and other studies have used instrument components. Therefore, it was concluded that the current PE teachers' PL level is not high. Also, because the concept of PL among PE teachers has not been standardized, no tool has been developed to evaluate the PL of PE teachers comprehensively and systematically. The CPD (continuing professional development) is considered an effective means of enhancing PL among PE teachers, and research should prioritize the development of CPD programs and tools that are specifically tailored to assess PL among PE teachers in the future.
| S-EPMC11257255 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study aimed to analyse the knowledge of Portuguese physical education (PE) teachers according to the health recommendations for physical activity (PA) for children and adolescents. A total of 764 teachers participated (55.2% men) with a mean age of 48.2 years. Data was collected using answering to an online survey. Teachers were asked about PA's frequency, duration and intensity to achieve the recommended level PA. Chi-square was applied to analyse the associations. The main finding is that PE teachers have a lack of knowledge of the health recommendations of PA. Specifically, only 7.5% of the PE teachers in our study could identify the PA recommendations correctly. The intensity component in the health recommendation is the one in which most PE teachers demonstrate correct knowledge of (60.5%), with significant differences in gender and teaching level. However, significantly fewer PE teachers knew the frequency component in the health recommendations for PA (25%), with significant differences in education level. For the duration component, only 37.6% of teachers knew the recommendations. In light of our findings, it is a concern that PE teachers generally lack knowledge according to children's fulfilment of health recommendations for PA.
| S-EPMC10710445 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The purpose of this study was to examine differences in occupational socialization (OS) among pre-service physical education teachers' (PPETs) in four year groups. 238 PPETs from a Chinese university. An online survey and the semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The younger PPETs felt more prepared and believed in the benefit of professional development more than the older PPETs. The PPETs' acculturation had a critical influence on their OS. The lack of early field experience may explain why the seniors felt less confident than their younger counterparts. This study would contribute a new angle to discuss the OS and physical education teacher education program quality, especially the design of the teaching practice opportunities, together.
| S-EPMC9302786 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In this article, we will explore the recent development of physical literacy in the Hong Kong context and how the concept and operation of physical literacy implicitly exist at different levels of the Hong Kong education system. The Physical Education profession will be introduced. The development of physical literacy in terms of research and operationalization in primary, secondary, and tertiary education will then be discussed. We will go on to explore the challenges of extending the impact of physical literacy to the field of public health in Hong Kong. The article will end with a closing remark adopting the Chinese philosophies of Confucianism and Taoism to justify the belief that physical literacy is both implicitly and invisibly rooted in the Hong Kong Chinese culture.
| S-EPMC7246486 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Pre-service physical education teachers (PSPTs) have long been an important area of specific development in physical education and have become a significant force in the field of physical education and research over the past two decades. However, exploratory research on pre-service teachers remains relatively scarce, and lack a comprehensive scientific exploration of the scope of their role. Therefore, this study provides a comprehensive overview of pre-service physical education teacher education (PETE) from both a broad and specific perspective. Specifically, it includes the current state of PETE, the most influential authors, countries, journals, and literature, as well as specific research topics and future directions within PETE. Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a total of 340 articles were included, with 84 of them being empirical studies. The findings reveal that teacher training, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, educational attitudes and beliefs, educational quality, educational methods and technology, career motivation, teaching models and strategies, and teacher assessment and reflection are major research themes. Visual analysis of the application of pre-service physical education teacher research highlights teacher training, diversity, equity, and inclusion in education, as well as instructional technology, as key areas of future focus. These insights contribute to the reasonable application of bibliometrics in the field of pre-service physical education teacher research.
| S-EPMC11002606 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundMeasuring and understanding the level of health literacy serves as a starting point for developing various policies in health care. The consequences of weak health literacy competencies are severe; they result in riskier health behaviour, poorer health status, more frequent emergency visits and hospitalizations. This research has three aims: i) measure the level of health literacy in the populations of Latvia and Lithuania; ii) investigate which demographic and socioeconomic determinants are associated with it; and iii) discuss the means of improving its current level.MethodsWe employ a validated survey tool, the 47-item European Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q). In addition to the 47 questions in the domains of health care, disease prevention, and health promotion, the participants' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics are assessed. Face-to-face paper-assisted surveys are conducted with randomly selected residents from Latvia and Lithuania. The level of health literacy is measured by the health literacy index. Spearman correlation analyses and multiple regressions models are employed for investigating the association between the health literacy level and its determinants. The survey tool is complemented with in-depth interviews with six healthcare industry experts in order to assess the most promising ways to improve the level of health literacy.ResultsThe stratified random sampling with quota elements assured a representative sample in terms of gender, urban/rural distribution and regions. In Latvia, 79% of the population possesses weak health literacy competencies. In Lithuania, 73% of the population can be characterized with inadequate or problematic level of health literacy. The most important determinants of the health literacy level include age, financial situation, social status, and ethnicity. In particular, elderly (aged 76 and over) and the Latvian-speaking population are less health literate, while those having better financial situation and higher social status are more health literate. The three most promising ways to improve the level of health literacy, as suggested by the healthcare industry experts, include health education in schools, provision of structured health-related information in Latvian and Lithuanian, and guidelines for the most common health problems.ConclusionsThe proportion of population with inadequate or problematic level of health literacy is higher in Latvia and Lithuania than in several other European countries. There is an urgent need to develop policies to improve it.
| S-EPMC9275389 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPhysical education teachers' health communication competence is a key factor in health promotion. Although health communication is a multidisciplinary field, medical practitioners are the primary focus of health communication research, whereas physical education teachers are marginalized. Therefore, this study proposes a theoretical model of health communication competence for physical education teachers.MethodsThis qualitative research utilized interviews as the primary data collection method. Purposeful sampling was employed to select participants, including university teachers, primary and secondary school teachers, and health education professionals from diverse regions of China. A total of 31 participants were interviewed through two focus groups (N = 15) and individual semi-structured interviews (N = 16). Grounded theory was used to analyze and code the collected interview materials.ResultsThe health communication competence of physical education teachers consisted of three main categories, 10 subcategories, 30 concepts, and 240 statement labels. The three main categories were as follows: (i) foundations of health communication knowledge and skills (this category encompassed three subcategories, namely sport and health knowledge reserve, health beliefs, and health behaviors); (ii) health communication perception competence (this category included two subcategories, namely health risk and crisis perception competence and communication audience perception competence); and (iii) practical competence of health communication (this category consisted of five subcategories, namely language expression competence, organizational and design competence, utilization of new media tools competence, communication content selection and processing competence, and professional skills).ConclusionThe theoretical model of health communication competence in this study provides a foundation for the involvement of physical education teachers in health communication work. It can serve as a reference for the development of both pre-service health education courses and in-service training systems for physical education teachers. Future research can expand the sample size and geographic coverage to further validate the applicability of the findings. Additionally, investigating the factors influencing the formation of the identified competencies is recommended.
| S-EPMC10758496 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn Norway, the introduction of an interdisciplinary subject named Public Health and Life skills has brought about renewed attention to how health is conceptualized and taught within and across school subjects. Physical education (PE) is one subject that has traditionally been linked to health outcomes. However, a narrow focus on increased physical activity as the main outcome of PE could be counterproductive in the pursuit of health. Critical health literacy (CHL) is put forward as a resource for health that can be nurtured in the PE context; this study hypothesizes that academic achievement in PE is positively associated with some aspects of CHL.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 521 pupils aged 13-15 years old from five lower secondary schools in Norway. Structural equation models were used as the primary statistical analysis to test the hypothesis. The study controlled for parents' education, leisure physical activity, and participation in sports club activities.ResultsThe results confirm the hypothesis, showing a positive and significant association between PE and CHL. The association remains when controlling for parents' education, leisure physical activity, and participation in sports club activities (β^PE→CHL-C1 = 0.264, p = 0.001; β^PE→CHL-C2 = 0.351, p < 0.000).ConclusionIn our sample, academic achievement in PE was associated with higher levels of CHL. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on the health benefits of PE. We argue that a resource-based health perspective can produce the appropriate aims for health in PE contexts and that the CHL concept contributes to illuminating key areas, promoting suitable teaching strategies, and bringing balance between an individual and collective focus for future health education, both within PE and across different subjects in school contexts.
| S-EPMC10294679 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This article examines older physical education (PE) teachers' wellbeing over the course of their career in Finland. The study highlights challenges to physical and mental functioning as well as how teachers respond to these challenges. The six interviewees were over 55-year-old PE teachers, whose career had lasted for more than 30 years. Qualitative methods were used in the collection, transcription and analysis of the research data. The qualitative analysis consisted of a series of interpretations that visualised the world described by the interviewees. All the research participants had physical problems that affected their teaching and make teachers consider a potential career change. To be able to teach, teachers adapted their ways of working according to the challenges brought by age and injuries. The research participants found that the challenges caused by musculoskeletal problems and ageing were an inevitable part of the profession. They emphasised the positive sides of the work: the profession permits varied workdays. In addition, the teachers noted that their work provides them with opportunities to remain physically fit. Teaching health education is a means to lighten the workload of older teachers. PE teachers enjoy their profession and are dedicated to it, despite all the challenges. The interviewed participants clearly experienced work engagement. Our development proposal for teacher education is that future PE teachers be informed about the risks involved in the profession. Such activity helps young teachers reflect proactively on the measures taken to maintain their functioning during their career and on perspectives related to the ways of working.
| S-EPMC9658279 | biostudies-literature