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Children
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Health Behaviour, Health Literacy and Mental Health in Children
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Health Behaviour, Health Literacy and Mental Health in Children

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 4979

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Attila Sárváry

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Integrative Health, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: health behavior of children; health behavior of ethnic minorities; prevention programs
Dr. Éva Bíró

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, 4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Interests: mental health; health and behavior of youth; health literacy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The health behaviour of children is changing over time. In addition to well-known and traditional risk factors, new ones have emerged (e.g., the use of electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products (IQOS), and video game or smartphone addiction) which influence not only the physical but also mental and emotional status of children and adolescents. Some special vulnerable groups (disabled people and ethnic minorities) are more affected; therefore, we must pay more attention to prevention in these groups. The COVID-19 epidemic was a totally new situation in the life of children and adolescents. During lockdown in most countries, distance (online) learning was introduced in schools as a teaching method, which, in some ways, unfavourably affected both the physical and mental health status of this demographic. The isolation and limited communication with peers may have also disrupted the adolescents’ mental health.  

It could also be an interesting question how we can measure the health literacy in children and whether there is any association between their health literacy and behaviour or health status.

The aim of this Special Issue is to give insight into the new trends in risk behaviours in children and to show what kind of innovative prevention methods are being implemented effectively in this field.

We invite original articles, review articles, and meta-analyses related to these topics. We hope that this Special Issue will contribute to a better understanding of current processes and can give new and innovative methodologies for prevention.

Dr. Attila Sárváry
Dr. Éva Bíró 
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smoking
  • electronic cigarette use
  • alcohol consumption
  • illegal drug use
  • physical activity
  • eating habit
  • video game
  • smartphone use
  • COVID-19
  • physical health
  • mental health
  • prevention
  • intervention
  • health literacy

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1116 KiB  
Article
Health Literacy of Children and Adolescents with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Parents of IBD Patients—Coping and Information Needs
by Kalina Kaul, Stefan Schumann, Cornelia Sander, Jan Däbritz and Jan de Laffolie
Children 2024, 11(4), 481; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040481 - 17 Apr 2024
Viewed by 588
Abstract
Background: The number of children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing. Many chronically ill children and adolescents have low health literacy. Patient empowerment (PE) enables positive changes and control over one’s disease through specific activities, information, and counseling. The CEDNA [...] Read more.
Background: The number of children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing. Many chronically ill children and adolescents have low health literacy. Patient empowerment (PE) enables positive changes and control over one’s disease through specific activities, information, and counseling. The CEDNA (IBD Needs Assessment) Survey aimed to provide the necessary data to improve PE in pediatric IBD (PIBD). Methods: Questionnaires were distributed to adolescent IBD patients and parents of children and adolescents with IBD throughout Germany. The answers were given anonymously. Based on the available data, a subgroup analysis was conducted in relation to the age of the patients and the period since diagnosis. For the parents’ responses, the same age groups were analyzed for comparison with the patients’ responses. Results: From October 2021 to April 2022, 2810 questionnaires were distributed and 1158 questionnaires were completed (n = 708 parents [61.1%], n = 450 patients [38.9%]). The results indicate that health literacy in children with IBD is low. Significant gaps in knowledge of important IBD topics were identified, and a comparison of responses regarding preferred methods and timing of obtaining information revealed differences between patient and parent preferences. The greatest need for knowledge on IBD topics was found in the group of 16–17-year-old patients on transition (n = 214, 31.8%) and in the group of patients diagnosed 1–2 years ago on the causes of IBD (n = 288, 17.4%). The willingness to seek advice was unexpectedly low. Conclusions: The analysis of all findings according to the patient’s age structure and duration since diagnosis can be used to enable age-appropriate communication at certain stages of the disease. This tailored information should increase patients’ health literacy, improve their management of the disease, and reduce the burden on their families. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behaviour, Health Literacy and Mental Health in Children)
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12 pages, 294 KiB  
Article
Association between Screen Time and Sociodemographic Factors, Physical Activity, and BMI among Children in Six European Countries (Feel4Diabetes): A Cross-Sectional Study
by Sándor Istvánné Radó, Mónika Molnár, Róbert Széll, Gergő József Szőllősi, Viktória Törő, Bashar Shehab, Yannis Manios, Costas Anastasiou, Violeta Iotova, Kaloyan Tsochev, Nevena Chakarova, Natalia Giménez-Legarre, Maria Luisa Miguel Berges, Peter E. H. Schwarz, Imre Rurik and Attila Sárváry
Children 2024, 11(4), 458; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11040458 - 11 Apr 2024
Viewed by 2010
Abstract
Screen time among children in most European countries is notably high and is influenced by various sociodemographic and other factors. Our study aimed to explore the associations between parents’ sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, risk status for type [...] Read more.
Screen time among children in most European countries is notably high and is influenced by various sociodemographic and other factors. Our study aimed to explore the associations between parents’ sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, risk status for type 2 diabetes, and their children’s BMI, physical activity, and screen time. The data were sourced from the 2016 Feel4Diabetes study, involving 12,280 parents and 12,211 children aged 6–9 years (average age 8.21 years) in a cross-sectional study design. We used a logistic regression model to identify potential factors associated with children’s screen time. The results showed that mothers with tertiary education (OR = 0.64; 95%CI = 0.49–0.82; p < 0.001), the middle age group (45–54 years) (OR = 0.81 95%CI = 0.66–0.98; p = 0.033), and families with higher incomes (middle–OR = 0.85; 95%CI = 0.75–0.97; p = 0.014; high–OR = 0.8; 95%CI = 0.69–0.93; p = 0.003) were associated with a decreased chance of children spending more than 2 h/day in front of the screen. In contrast, maternal overweight/obesity (OR = 1.15; 95%CI = 1.03–1.29; p = 0.013) and lower physical activity in children were linked to an increased likelihood of more than 2 h of screen time per day. Our findings suggest that targeted interventions should be developed to mitigate excessive screen time, particularly focusing on low-income families and mothers with low educational levels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behaviour, Health Literacy and Mental Health in Children)
11 pages, 2340 KiB  
Article
Disease Trends in Children and Adolescents in Japan: A Retrospective Observational Study Using the Nationwide Claims Data for 2012–2016
by Maiko Suto, Kenji Takehara, Naho Morisaki, Akinori Moriichi, Ruoyan Gai and Rintaro Mori
Children 2024, 11(1), 81; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11010081 - 10 Jan 2024
Viewed by 917
Abstract
This study aimed to clarify diseases that occur more frequently by age and identify the peaks and trends of each disease from infancy to adolescence for early detection and treatment. This retrospective observational study was conducted using Japan’s National Database of Health Insurance [...] Read more.
This study aimed to clarify diseases that occur more frequently by age and identify the peaks and trends of each disease from infancy to adolescence for early detection and treatment. This retrospective observational study was conducted using Japan’s National Database of Health Insurance Claims Specific Health Checkups from January 2012 to December 2016. Using peak ages and trends in the number of patients, we grouped diseases by the International Classification of Diseases chapters. Although diseases that peaked during infancy were the most common (10 disease chapters), other diseases peaked at school-going age and adolescence. Diseases in four chapters peaked during adolescence and continued to increase toward the age of 18. These four chapters included mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders; diseases of the nervous system; the genitourinary system; and pregnancy, childbirth, and the puerperium. Childhood-onset diseases can affect long-term health and healthcare needs, and timely screening and guidance based on disease trends can provide an effective intervention. To establish a child healthcare system that provides preventive support for children and adolescents’ physical, psychological, and social health, further research is needed to comprehensively understand the issues per age and developmental stage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behaviour, Health Literacy and Mental Health in Children)
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12 pages, 487 KiB  
Article
Daily Optional Physical Education Does Not Counteract Increasing Inactivity by Age among Adolescents
by Zsuzsa Lábiscsák-Erdélyi, Annamária Somhegyi, Ilona Veres-Balajti and Karolina Kósa
Children 2023, 10(12), 1929; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10121929 - 14 Dec 2023
Viewed by 826
Abstract
Background: This paper describes the outcomes of an integrated health promotion programme implemented in a Hungarian high school offering health education in the curriculum, daily optional physical education, teacher training in applying a person-centered approach in teaching, and parental involvement in school activities. [...] Read more.
Background: This paper describes the outcomes of an integrated health promotion programme implemented in a Hungarian high school offering health education in the curriculum, daily optional physical education, teacher training in applying a person-centered approach in teaching, and parental involvement in school activities. Methods: The evaluation used mixed methods of which results of the before-6-months-after quantitative survey among pupils is described. The health status and behaviour of students were assessed by applying the Hungarian version of the HBSC questionnaire. Results: Significant improvement was found in the self-rated health of girls (6.6% increase in being of excellent health, p = 0.04), and the consumption of sweets and sugary soft drinks decreased significantly for both genders (boys: −10.2%, p = 0.01; girls: −6.06%, p = 0.04). However, the proportion of physically inactive girls significantly increased (girls: 11.2%, p = 0.01), and substance use did not change significantly. Discussion and conclusions: The intervention had significant positive impacts on subjective health and dietary habits and could counteract the secular trend of increasing tobacco, alcohol, and drug consumption by age among adolescents, but this unfortunately does not include physical inactivity. Offsetting the most widespread health risk behavior, physical inactivity, may require mandatory daily physical education in schools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behaviour, Health Literacy and Mental Health in Children)
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