Health Education Journal

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) is increasingly gaining traction within the international community. CSE is regarded as an important means of informing young people about their rights and sexual health, improving public health outcomes and contributing to sustainable development.

Considerable variation exists in understandings regarding what makes sexuality education ‘comprehensive’. To gain greater clarity on what CSE is seen to be and entails, and how this form of sexuality education compares with other approaches, a review of existing programmatic and scholarly literatures was conducted.

This literature review analyses a range of CSE guidelines and academic sources engaging with the subject of CSE, and sexuality education more broadly.

Analysis of stated goals and means of CSE to identify core components of this form of education.

Four sets of core CSE components are identified, yet the analysis shows that the intended breadth of this type of sexuality education leaves considerable space for interpretation, with key concepts often remaining abstract. Furthermore, addressing the core elements of CSE and achieving its ‘emancipatory’ goals can work to exclude particular perspectives and subjectivities.

The review draws attention to the politics of knowledge production at play in decisions concerning what is deemed ‘comprehensive’, for whom, when and where. It concludes that the notion of ‘comprehensive’ is a matter of degree, and that reaching consensus on a set of universal standards regarding what can be deemed as ‘comprehensive’ may neither be possible nor desirable. The analysis will be useful for those interested in more careful engagement with CSE and, specifically, in examining features that, in practice, may run counter to the original goals.

Health promotion in sports clubs is receiving increased attention, but its benefits have not been widely evaluated for two reasons: (1) the difficulty in measuring ecological approach outcomes and (2) the existing literature having focused more on coaches’ efficiency rather than on health promotion. This article analyses the relationship between coaches’ health promotion activities, sports experience and health among adult sports participants.

A cross-sectional study using self-reported measurement among 204 adult sports participants (M_age = 49.05). A questionnaire measuring demographics, coaches’ health promotion activities (healthy lifestyle, substance use and respect for oneself and others), sports experience (enjoyment, subjective vitality) and health (perceived health and quality of life, self-esteem) was completed either before or after a training session.

Sixteen sports clubs in France

Multilevel analyses were used to evaluate the relationships between health promotion, sports experience and health outcomes, while t-tests compared differences between male adult and youth samples.

Adult perceptions of coaches’ health promotion activities were linked to enjoyment, perceived health and subjective vitality. The topic ‘healthy lifestyle’ was related to enjoyment and perceived health among adults. The topic ‘respect for oneself and others’ was related to self-esteem.

Adult and youth perceptions of coaches’ health promotion activities vary and are linked to different health outcomes. More research is needed to better identify the benefits of health promotion in sports clubs for sports participants, including longitudinal studies to explore causal relationships between variables.

To understand tobacco use patterns and the context, implementation and reception of a 2-year school-based behavioural intervention to promote awareness and support for tobacco control policies.

Qualitative exploration of participating students’, parents’ and teachers’ perspectives, experiences and observations related to tobacco use and the school-based intervention, as well as suggestions for the more effective prevention of tobacco use.

1,440 schools (720 intervention, 720 control) in two districts of Andhra Pradesh and five districts of Gujarat, India, participated in the study.

Forty-six focus group discussions were conducted with 94 teachers, 105 parents and 138 students in the intervention schools.

Evaluation findings signal the influence of the social, economic and cultural context on the initiation and perpetuation of tobacco use. Positive health beliefs, the economic importance of tobacco and cultural practices related to tobacco use were at variance with mounting evidence on the adverse outcomes of tobacco use. Health behaviour change related to tobacco use was observed in participating students, teachers and their families. However, the wider community was not as much influenced. Analysis of the intervention revealed various inputs and gaps in the implementation of the intervention associated with low impact on tobacco use in the community.

School-based interventions can effect significant perceived health behaviour change among students and families. Health promotion interventions need to acknowledge, harness and address cultural norms, economic pressures and policy implementation with respect to the initiation and perpetuation of tobacco use health behaviours.

Academic performance in school stems from an interaction of factors associated with students, families and schools. Among these factors, physical activity could play a very relevant role.

The goal of this study was to determine whether students’ physical activities in and outside school were related to their academic performance.

We used the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 database for Spain using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models to answer our research questions.

Results suggest a positive association between the number of days per week doing moderate physical activities and academic performance in science, reading and mathematics. However, a higher number of days per week doing vigorous physical activities was associated with lower scores in reading and science. We also find a negative association between exercising or practising sports before going to school and the scores achieved in the three competences evaluated.

Our results show that physical activity can play an important role in academic performance and that the effects of physical activity on children and teenagers should be further investigated.

Balint seminars are widely used educational activities in family medicine residency programs. However, their impact on measurable outcomes is uneven and controversial. The discussions in Balint seminars deal with perceiving and understanding the emotions of the participants.

This study measures the effect of Balint seminars on the emotional intelligence (EI) and burnout of internal medicine residents at the American University of Beirut.

Quasi-experimental observational pretest–posttest study.

In all, 27 internal medicine residents at the American University of Beirut.

Bi-weekly Balint seminars were delivered to internal medicine residents throughout the academic year. EI using Mayer Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) and burnout level using Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) were measured at the beginning and end of the academic year.

A total of 20 Balint seminars were delivered. On average, residents attended six sessions with standard deviation (SD) of 2. Using paired t-tests to compare post- and pre-total EI scores, there was no significant difference between the two scores (mean difference post-pre = -0.6 ± 9.7, p = .738). Gender was the most important predictor of the difference between pre- and post-total EI scores (women are the reference, β = -8.403, p = .007) as compared to understanding emotions baseline score (β = -0.263, p = .003). A significant proportion of residents (22.2%–29.6%) showed severe burnout levels on at least one of the three domains of burnout at baseline; however, Balint seminars did not have any effect on any of the burnout domains.

Balint seminars may have the beneficial effect of improving emotional intelligence among women. Balint seminars did not improve the burnout levels of internal medicine residents. Optimizing attendance of the Balint sessions may affect the outcomes attributable to Balint seminars.

The purpose of this study was to describe how a service-learning methodology can promote blood donation among students by increasing levels of knowledge and improving attitudes while developing professional skills.

A quasi-experimental study design was utilised. A questionnaire identified barriers and incentives to blood donation in an experimental group and a control group. Participants (n = 81) were students in nursing and primary teacher training courses at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Non-parametric analyses examined differences between participating and non-participating students within the project.

Gender and degree programme differences were found. Students who participated increased their level of knowledge (U = 325.500, p < .001) and reduced their barriers to blood donation in three of the evaluated dimensions: personal reasons (U = 520.500, p = .004), fears (U = 471.500, p = .001) and pretexts (U = 576.500, p = .020). Non-participants in the service-learning project reported more barriers and fewer external incentives.

Service-learning methodology can be a useful strategy to increase blood donation among students in higher education. It increases knowledge, improves attitudes and reduces barriers to donation. This successful interdisciplinary experience could provide the basis for the implementation of new service-learning approaches.

Children are among the most vulnerable population groups with regard to environmental risks. Nursing students must be fully educated on children’s environmental health as they are in a key position to prevent and reduce the effects of environmental hazards. The main objective of this study was to adapt and validate an English language version of two questionnaires about children’s health and the environment, to assess the knowledge and skills of student nurses in England.

Observational cross-sectional study.

A university in Southern England.

The study involves translating, adapting and validating the Children’s Environmental Health Knowledge Questionnaire (ChEHK-Q) and the Children’s Environmental Health Skills Questionnaire (ChEHS-Q) with nursing students in England (N = 232).

The psychometric characteristics of both questionnaires were strong. Infit and outfit values were close to 1. The reliability values for the items and people were 0.96 and 0.79 for ChEHK-Q and 0.98 and 0.89 for ChEHS-Q, respectively. Only 52 (22.41%) and 77 (33.62%) participants had at least good knowledge and skills, respectively. Higher knowledge and skills were found with respect to the vulnerability of children and identification of environmental risks in the home. Lower levels of knowledge and skills were found with respect to the effects of pesticides and the assessment of neoplastic pollutants.

Findings demonstrate deficiencies in nursing competencies related to children’s environmental health. The use of these questionnaires will facilitate improvement in both knowledge and skills related to children’s environmental health among future nurses.

Health professionals should be prepared to lead and contribute to initiatives that mitigate emerging global health risks to target communities. Health professions education, however, has inconsistently incorporated essential global health topics into curricula despite growing interest among health professional students.

To identify targeted strategies that health professions educators can integrate into coursework to strengthen global health training.

A narrative review of the literature was conducted to describe clinical and non-clinical skills that are indispensable to strong global health leadership.

Five strategies were highlighted that health professions educators can utilise to empower health professional students to strengthen their scientific knowledge base, develop ethical and culturally-appropriate community health interventions and effectively communicate health messages to stakeholders.

Incorporating global health topics into health professions curricula can provide health professional students with a repertoire of evidence-based resources to apply in their clinical and community health initiatives. A trained global health workforce is essential to help nations achieve established national and international health objectives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

The United States Census Bureau projects half of the population to be from a minority group by 2044 and one in five of the population to be foreign born by 2060. Health educators must adapt to and embrace diversity to work effectively with various populations.

The purpose of this article is to discuss the implications of cultural competency within the context of microaggression and to provide recommendations on how to incorporate cultural competence pedagogy into health education preservice courses.

Microaggressions, when not addressed, can create an unwelcoming classroom for students as well as unwelcoming work environments for graduate students and faculty. It can also result in marginalisation and exclusion that can cause a student, graduate student or instructor to drop a class, leave a programme or leave a department. By reflecting on how other academic disciplines have identified the negative effects of microaggression on college students, the authors demonstrate how addressing microaggression through a cultural competency lens in the classroom can benefit a student’s future career in health service provision.

While some work has been published on how to integrate cultural competency into health education, there is an absence of work incorporating microaggression and how to address it within health education pedagogy. It is important to address microaggression in all classrooms to ensure welcoming and inclusive environments for all practices in the field after graduation.