Feasibility Testing of a Health Literacy Intervention With Adolescents and Young Adults in South Africa: The LifeLab Soweto Programme.

Introduction: Low health literacy levels during adolescence and young adulthood (AYA) may impact acute healthcare access and longer-term health outcomes. Previous research in South African AYA suggests that health literacy levels are typically suboptimal but few interventions exist. This study aimed to test the acceptability and feasibility of a co-created, interactive health literacy intervention (LifeLab-Soweto) with AYA in Soweto, South Africa.

Projected health and economic effects of the increase in childhood obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic in England: The potential cost of inaction.

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity in young children rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we estimate the potential future health and economic effects of these trends in England.

Methods: Using publicly available annual Body Mass Index (BMI) data from 2006-2022, we calculated the increase in overweight/obesity prevalence (BMI ≥85th reference percentile) during the COVID-19 pandemic among children aged 4-5 and 10-11, and variation by deprivation and ethnicity.

Young people's experiences of COVID-19 messaging at the start of the UK lockdown: lessons for positive engagement and information sharing.

Background: To reduce COVID-19 infection rates during the initial stages of the pandemic, the UK Government mandated a strict period of restriction on freedom of movement or 'lockdown'. For young people, closure of schools and higher education institutions and social distancing rules may have been particularly challenging, coming at a critical time in their lives for social and emotional development. This study explored young people's experiences of the UK Government's initial response to the pandemic and related government messaging.

Schools and COVID-19: Reopening Pandora's box?

Schools in countries across the world are reopening as lockdown to slow progression of COVID-19 is eased. The UK government ordered school closures in England from March 20, 2020, later than the rest of Europe. A temporary and limited return for some year groups was trialled from June 2020.

A cluster-randomised controlled trial of the LifeLab education intervention to improve health literacy in adolescents.

Adolescence offers a window of opportunity during which improvements in health behaviours could benefit long-term health, and enable preparation for parenthood-albeit a long way off, passing on good health prospects to future children. This study was carried out to evaluate whether an educational intervention, which engages adolescents in science, can improve their health literacy and behaviours. A cluster-randomised controlled trial of 38 secondary schools in England, UK was conducted.

How do we harness adolescent values in designing health behaviour change interventions? A qualitative study.

Objectives: Adolescent health behaviours do not support optimal development. Adolescents are reportedly difficult to engage in health behaviour improvement initiatives. Little is known about what adolescents value in relation to diet and physical activity or how best to target these in health interventions.

Parental perspectives on negotiations over diet and physical activity: how do we involve parents in adolescent health interventions?

Objective: To identify the ways in which parental involvement can be incorporated into interventions to support adolescent health behaviour change.

Design: Data from semi-structured interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Setting: Southampton, Hampshire, UK.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based interventions with health education to reduce body mass index in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years.

Background: Adolescents are increasingly susceptible to obesity, and thus at risk of later non-communicable diseases, due to changes in food choices, physical activity levels and exposure to an obesogenic environment. This review aimed to synthesize the literature investigating the effectiveness of health education interventions delivered in school settings to prevent overweight and obesity and/ or reduce BMI in adolescents, and to explore the key features of effectiveness.

Methods: A systematic search of electronic databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychINFO and ERIC for papers published from Jan 2006 was carried out in 2020, following PRISMA guidelines.

Engaging adolescents in changing behaviour (EACH-B): a study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial to improve dietary quality and physical activity.

Background: Poor diet and lack of physical activity are strongly linked to non-communicable disease risk, but modifying them is challenging. There is increasing recognition that adolescence is an important time to intervene; habits formed during this period tend to last, and physical and psychological changes during adolescence make it an important time to help individuals form healthier habits. Improving adolescents' health behaviours is important not only for their own health now and in adulthood, but also for the health of any future children.

Initiating a network to support engagement between health researchers and schools: recommendations from an international meeting of schools engagement practitioners held in Kilifi, Kenya.

Engagement between health researchers and local schools, or School Engagement, has become incorporated into the engagement strategies of many research institutions worldwide. Innovative initiatives have emerged within Wellcome Trust-funded African and Asian Programmes (APPs) and elsewhere, and continued funding from the Wellcome Trust and other funders is likely to catalyse further innovation. Engagement between and schools is well-described in the scientific literature (1-4), however, engagement between and schools is much newer, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, and rarely documented.

Behaviour change interventions: getting in touch with individual differences, values and emotions.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggest that behaviour change interventions have modest effect sizes, struggle to demonstrate effect in the long term and that there is high heterogeneity between studies. Such interventions take huge effort to design and run for relatively small returns in terms of changes to behaviour.So why do behaviour change interventions not work and how can we make them more effective? This article offers some ideas about what may underpin the failure of behaviour change interventions.

Preconception health in England: a proposal for annual reporting with core metrics.

There is growing interest in preconception health as a crucial period for influencing not only pregnancy outcomes, but also future maternal and child health, and prevention of long-term medical conditions. Successive national and international policy documents emphasise the need to improve preconception health, but resources and action have not followed through with these goals. We argue for a dual intervention strategy at both the public health level (eg, by improving the food environment) and at the individual level (eg, by better identification of those planning a pregnancy who would benefit from support to optimise health before conception) in order to raise awareness of preconception health and to normalise the notion of planning and preparing for pregnancy.

Impact of Personal Alcohol Consumption on Aspects of Medical Student Alcohol-Related Competencies.

Aim: As part of the prevention and management of alcohol-related harms, health professionals need to be competent to assess the level of alcohol use in patients. In this study, we explored how medical students' own alcohol consumption impacts on their familiarity with alcohol brands, strengths and alcohol-related harms.

Methods: As part of a wider study investigating the concept of 'alcohol health literacy', this study combined an anonymous online survey, linked to an electronic alcohol 'brand' recognition game.

Intervention strategies to improve nutrition and health behaviours before conception.

The nutritional status of both women and men before conception has profound implications for the growth, development, and long-term health of their offspring. Evidence of the effectiveness of preconception interventions for improving outcomes for mothers and babies is scarce. However, given the large potential health return, and relatively low costs and risk of harm, research into potential interventions is warranted.

A Systematic Review of Digital Interventions for Improving the Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors of Adolescents.

Many adolescents have poor diet and physical activity behaviors, which can lead to the development of noncommunicable diseases in later life. Digital platforms offer inexpensive means of delivering health interventions, but little is known about their effectiveness. This systematic review was conducted to synthesize evidence on the effectiveness of digital interventions to improve diet quality and increase physical activity in adolescents, to effective intervention components and to assess the cost-effectiveness of these interventions.

Engaging teenagers in improving their health behaviours and increasing their interest in science (Evaluation of LifeLab Southampton): study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Background: Lifestyle and health behaviours are strongly linked to non-communicable disease risk, but modifying them is challenging. There is an increasing recognition that adolescence is an important time for lifestyle and health behaviours to become embedded. Improving these behaviours in adolescents is important not only for their own health but also for that of their future children.