Health literacy and participation in sports club activities among adolescents

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this research was to compare the levels of perceived health literacy among adolescents who do or do not participate in sports club activities. Organized sport club activities reach a high proportion of adolescents, and have the potential to contribute to the development of their health literacy. Methods: The cross-sectional data on health literacy among school children in Finland (aged 13 and 15, n=3852) were measured, as a part of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study, using the Health Literacy for School-aged Children (HLSAC) instrument. Sports club participation and its association with health literacy were examined in relation to age, gender, family affluence, school achievement, and physical activity. The statistical analyses included cross-tabulation and the multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analyses. Results: Perceived health literacy was higher among adolescents who participated in sports club activities. This conclusion was valid for boys and girls, for both age groups, among those who were physically active 6–7 days a week, had at least moderate school achievement, and those who belonged to the middle or high affluence families. From the health literacy perspective, participation in sports club activities was especially beneficial for those having low or moderate school achievement level. Conclusions: The sports club setting may work towards equalizing health literacy differences related to school achievement. However, the clubs should ensure that access is available to as many adolescents as possible; by this means they may spread beneficial influences, supporting the development of health literacy among broader population groups.

Keywords

Health literacy sports club adolescents school achievement physical activity family affluence

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Nutbeam

. Health promotion glossary. Health Promot Int 1998;13:349–64.

Perry

. Health literacy in adolescents: an integrative review. J Spec Nurs 2014;19:210–18.

Sanders

Federico

Klass

et al . Health literacy and child health: a systematic review. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2009;163:131–40.

Due

Krølner

Rasmussen

et al . Pathways and mechanisms in adolescence contribute to adult health inequalities. Scand J Public Health 2011;39(6 suppl):62–78.

Kickbusch

Pelikan

Apfel

et al . Health literacy: the solid facts. Copenhagen: World Health Organization, 2013.

Mononen

Blomqvist

Koski

et al . Urheilu ja seuraharrastaminen. In: Kokko

Mehtälä

(eds) Lasten ja nuorten liikuntakäyttäytyminen Suomessa: LIITU-tutkimuksen tuloksia 2016. Helsingin liikuntaneuvoston julkaisuja 4, 2016, pp.27–35.

Kokko

. Health promoting sports club: youth sports clubs’ health promotion profiles, guidance, and associated coaching practice, in Finland. Studies in Sport, Physical education and Health, no. 144. Jyväskylä, Finland: University of Jyväskylä, 2010.

Meganck

Scheerder

Thibaut

et al . Youth sports clubs’ potential as health-promoting setting: profiles, motives and barriers. Health Educ J 2015;74:531–43.

Badura

Geckova

Sigmundova

et al . When children play, they feel better: organized activity participation and health in adolescents. BMC Public Health 2015;15:1.

10.

Eime

Harvey

Brown

et al . Does sports club participation contribute to health-related quality of life. Med Sci Sports Exercise 2010;42:1022–8.

11.

Fredricks

Eccles

. Extracurricular involvement and adolescent adjustment: impact of duration, number of activities, and breadth of participation. Appl Dev Sci 2006;10:132–46.

12.

Diehl

Thiel

Zipfel

et al . Substance use among elite adolescent athletes: findings from the GOAL Study. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2014;24:250–8.

13.

Geidne

Quennerstedt

Eriksson

. The youth sports club as a health-promoting setting: an integrative review of research. Scand J Public Health 2013;41:269–83.

14.

Bapat

Jorm

Lawrence

. Evaluation of a mental health literacy training program for junior sporting clubs. Australas Psychiatry 2009;17:475–9.

15.

Papacharisis

Goudas

Danish

et al . The effectiveness of teaching a life skills program in a sport context. J Appl Sport Psychol 2005;17:247–54.

16.

Light

. Children’s social and personal development through sport: a case study of an Australian swimming club. J Sport Social Issues 2010;34:379–95.

17.

Paakkari

Torppa

Kannas

et al . Subjective health literacy among school-aged children and its associations with school achievement, learning difficulties, educational aspirations, and family affluence. Health Education (accepted for publication).

18.

Sun

Shi

Zeng

et al . Determinants of health literacy and health behavior regarding infectious respiratory diseases: a pathway model. BMC Public Health 2013;13:1.

19.

Kutner

Greenburg

Jin

et al . The health literacy of America’s adults: results from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Report no. NCES 2006–483, September 2006. Washington, DE: National Center for Education Statistics.

20.

Paakkari

Torppa

Kannas

et al . Subjective health literacy: development of a brief instrument for school-aged children. Scand J Public Health 2016;44:751–7.

21.

Torsheim

Cavallo

Levin

et al . Psychometric validation of the revised family affluence scale: a latent variable approach. Child Indic Res 2015;9:771–84.

22.

Inchley

Currie

Young

et al . (eds). Growing up unequal: gender and socioeconomic differences in young people’s health and well-being. Health Policy for Children and Adolescents, no. 7, 2016. Copenhagen: World Health Organization.

23.

Currie

Inchley

Molcho

et al . (eds). Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study protocol: background, methodology and mandatory items for the 2013/14 survey. St Andrews, UK: Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit, University of St Andrews, 2014.

24.

Prochaska

Sallis

Long

. A physical activity screening measure for use with adolescents in primary care. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2001;155:554–9.

25.

Allender

Cowburn

Foster

. Understanding participation in sport and physical activity among children and adults: a review of qualitative studies. Health Educ Res 2006;21:826–35.

26.

Reardon

. The widening academic achievement gap between the rich and the poor: new evidence and possible explanations. In: Duncan

Murnane

(eds) Whither opportunity. Rising inequality, schools, and children’s life chances. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2011, pp.91–116.

27.

Eime

Harvey

Craike

et al . Family support and ease of access link socio-economic status and sports club membership in adolescent girls: a mediation study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act 2013;10:50.

28.

Puronaho

. Drop-out via throw-out. Tutkimus lasten ja nuorten liikuntaharrastusten kustannuksista. Opetus-ja kulttuuriministeriön julkaisuja 2014:5.

29.

Telama

Nupponen

Laakso

et al . Secular trends in youth physical activity and parents’ socioeconomic status from 1977 to 2005. Pediatr Exercise Sci 2009;21:462–74.

30.

Conner

Norman

. Predicting health behaviour: a social cognition approach. In: Conner

Norman

(eds) Predicting health behaviour: research and practice with social cognition models. 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press, 2005, pp.1–27.