Teaching Literacy to Filipino Deaf Students in Multilingual Classrooms Amid a Pandemic.

This article describes the current landscape of teaching literacy to Filipino Deaf students in a multilingual, multi-cultural classroom amid the pandemic. The article highlights the uniqueness of Filipino Deaf students as multilingual learners in a multi-cultural classroom and the lack of literature and research on Deaf multilingualism both locally and globally. Moreover, the article focuses on the role of Deaf teachers in teaching Filipino Deaf students, especially in their literacy development. The steps being done to ensure that the curriculum is inclusive of Deaf learners who use Filipino Sign Language (FSL), teacher preparation and materials development, and the challenges in the shift to distance learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed. Future directions and recommendations include review of curriculum and adaptation, enhancement of teacher preparation, promotion of collaborative teaching and research efforts, and the production of more appropriate and accessible instructional materials for Deaf students.

Visualizing a Framework in Teaching Literacy to Filipino Deaf Students in Multimodal Learning Spaces.

In this article, we visualize a framework of the intersectionality of literacy, spatial justice, and multimodality in teaching literacy to Filipino Deaf students. We propose a metaphor-based framework and discuss how it can be used in teaching literacy to Filipino Deaf students through classroom examples as well as suggestions and recommendations for teachers. We do this mainly through redefining the term literacy, allowing students access to different modalities, and restructuring learning spaces. We also explore the relationship between spatial justice and the concept of Deaf Space and how this applies in the "new normal" of online learning due to the pandemic. We also address the issue of how classroom and education structure may inadvertently produce spatial injustice, especially for Deaf students. Implications and additional questions in teaching Filipino Deaf students are also discussed.

The correlation between parents' education attainment and humanistic literacy of eight-year medical students.

Objectives: To explore the content, ways, and methods of family education in cultivating students' humanistic literacy. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study and collected questionnaire data from 616 eight-year clinical medical students of Central South University by a convenience sampling survey. To determine the influence of parents' educational attainment on children's humanistic literacy, the students were mainly divided into two groups including parents' education attainment was college or above (Group B) and parents' education attainment below college (Group A). Non-parametric tests are used to test the differences between the two groups in humanistic spirit, interpersonal communication, humanistic knowledge and ability, and development planning. Results: Group B had better social morality and a sense of social responsibility than group A (P=0.024, P=0.001). Compared to group A, students in group B could better integrate into the new environment, communicate with students from different institutes, and take an active part in activities (P=0.001). In a nutshell, students in group B had more excellent humanistic knowledge and ability and could consult medical literature and write in Chinese or English more proficiently than group A (P=0.0001, P=0.0001). Conclusions: We found that the eight-year medical students whose parents' highest education attainment is college or above almost mastered a higher level of humanistic literacy. It demonstrated family humanistic literacy education is irreplaceable. We recommend systematic efforts to build a reasonable and effective family humanistic literacy education platform and form an educational synergy with school education to make the cultivation of humanistic literacy among students more efficient.

Evaluation of depression symptoms and depression literacy among medical students: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Mental health plays an important role in educational performance. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between depression symptoms, depression literacy, and quality of life in undergraduate and postgraduate medical students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2023 in Riyadh with 263 medical students. Data were obtained using three different sets of questionnaires (a demographic section, the Depression Literacy Scale, and a quality-of-life questionnaire). RESULTS: In total, 134 men (51%) and 129 women (49%) participated in the study; out of these, 142 participants reported depression, while 109 individuals reported family-related depression. Only 25% of the participants attended depression seminars and workshops in the last year, while 83% felt that depression was an illness. Students with a family history of depression also reported higher levels of depression. Depression was lowest among students who attended depression management seminars or workshops. Marital status did not affect depression among medical students. CONCLUSIONS: These findings reveal that depression is widespread among medical students and that counseling and frequent depression assessments are required. There is a need for greater awareness of different aspects of depression among medical students, parents, and medical educators. Health education programs and interventions targeting mental health care can be implemented at the individual, family, and community levels.

Medical students' AI literacy and attitudes towards AI: a cross-sectional two-center study using pre-validated assessment instruments.

BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly important in healthcare. It is therefore crucial that today's medical students have certain basic AI skills that enable them to use AI applications successfully. These basic skills are often referred to as "AI literacy". Previous research projects that aimed to investigate medical students' AI literacy and attitudes towards AI have not used reliable and validated assessment instruments. METHODS: We used two validated self-assessment scales to measure AI literacy (31 Likert-type items) and attitudes towards AI (5 Likert-type items) at two German medical schools. The scales were distributed to the medical students through an online questionnaire. The final sample consisted of a total of 377 medical students. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis and calculated the internal consistency of the scales to check whether the scales were sufficiently reliable to be used in our sample. In addition, we calculated t-tests to determine group differences and Pearson's and Kendall's correlation coefficients to examine associations between individual variables. RESULTS: The model fit and internal consistency of the scales were satisfactory. Within the concept of AI literacy, we found that medical students at both medical schools rated their technical understanding of AI significantly lower (MMS1 = 2.85 and MMS2 = 2.50) than their ability to critically appraise (MMS1 = 4.99 and MMS2 = 4.83) or practically use AI (MMS1 = 4.52 and MMS2 = 4.32), which reveals a discrepancy of skills. In addition, female medical students rated their overall AI literacy significantly lower than male medical students, t(217.96) = -3.65, p <.001. Students in both samples seemed to be more accepting of AI than fearful of the technology, t(745.42) = 11.72, p <.001. Furthermore, we discovered a strong positive correlation between AI literacy and positive attitudes towards AI and a weak negative correlation between AI literacy and negative attitudes. Finally, we found that prior AI education and interest in AI is positively correlated with medical students' AI literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Courses to increase the AI literacy of medical students should focus more on technical aspects. There also appears to be a correlation between AI literacy and attitudes towards AI, which should be considered when planning AI courses.

Development of an index system for the scientific literacy of medical staff: a modified Delphi study in China.

BACKGROUND: Scientific research activity in hospitals is important for promoting the development of clinical medicine, and the scientific literacy of medical staff plays an important role in improving the quality and competitiveness of hospital research. To date, no index system applicable to the scientific literacy of medical staff in China has been developed that can effectively evaluate and guide scientific literacy. This study aimed to establish an index system for the scientific literacy of medical staff in China and provide a reference for improving the evaluation of this system. METHODS: In this study, a preliminary indicator pool for the scientific literacy of medical staff was constructed through the nominal group technique (n = 16) with medical staff. Then, two rounds of Delphi expert consultation surveys (n = 20) were conducted with clinicians, and the indicators were screened, revised and supplemented using the boundary value method and expert opinions. Next, the hierarchical analysis method was utilized to determine the weights of the indicators and ultimately establish a scientific literacy indicator system for medical staff. RESULTS: Following expert opinion, the index system for the scientific literacy of medical staff featuring 2 first-level indicators, 9 second-level indicators, and 38 third-level indicators was ultimately established, and the weights of the indicators were calculated. The two first-level indicators were research literacy and research ability, and the second-level indicators were research attitude (0.375), ability to identify problems (0.2038), basic literacy (0.1250), ability to implement projects (0.0843), research output capacity (0.0747), professional capacity (0.0735), data-processing capacity (0.0239), thesis-writing skills (0.0217), and ability to use literature (0.0181). CONCLUSIONS: This study constructed a comprehensive scientific literacy index system that can assess medical staff's scientific literacy and serve as a reference for evaluating and improving their scientific literacy.

Heat literacy and adaptation among semi-rural community in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Heatwaves present health risks globally but there is limited evidence on how temperature perceptions affect activities. This study aimed to examine community perceptions of heat as a potential health hazard and ascertain the current heat protection measures of the residents of the South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO) in Malaysia. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, we randomly selected community members aged between 18 and 70 years who resided in Segamat district of Johor state, Malaysia. Over 21 days, we conducted three home visits to each participant. During each visit, participants completed a questionnaire consisting of Likert scale, multiple choice, and free text questions and we collected quantitative and qualitative data. These inquiries assessed the participants' perception of heat as health threat, whether or not they took heat preventive measures, and the specific protective measures they routinely employed. Descriptive data analyses were conducted and patterns of protective measures were investigated. FINDINGS: Between March 29 and July 31, 2023, 120 participants (72 women and 48 men) completed 360 questionnaires over three home visits. Initially, 58% participants recognised heat hazards to daily activities, decreasing to 42% and 35% by visits 2 and 3. Participants took preventive measures throughout the day, which was consistently high between 1200 h and 1400 h, with 77% of participants taking preventive measures on visit 1, 82% on visit 2, and 82% on visit 3. Use of preventive measures was also high between 1400 h and 1730 h, with 77% using preventive measure on visit 1, 81% on visit 2, and 79% on visit 3. The most common protective measures were fans (used by 68-88% of participants), drinking more water (70-78% of participants), and resting (44-72% of participants). The least common were relocating to cooler places, removing clothes, and using wet towels (0-2·5%). Despite high temperatures, perceptions of heat risks decreased over time. Participants took basic protections, especially at midday, but improved literacy and affordable cooling options are needed to protect vulnerable rural populations. INTERPRETATION: Our findings underline the need to improve heat literacy and adaptation as only half of the population assessed perceived heat as a potential health hazard and practised limited heat protective measures. Addressing climate change and health necessitates fundamental behavioural changes on the part of individuals and communities, to protect them against the adverse effects of heat. FUNDING: Monash University Malaysia and Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University.

PERSIST: a pre-post study to assess an educational methodology to enhance youth climate literacy and systems thinking ability.

BACKGROUND: Education has a pivotal role in preparing society to address the forthcoming health impacts of the climate crisis. Education provides the tools necessary to instil both individual and collective attitudes for mitigating climate change, fosters the development of adaptive skills and mindsets, and promotes a critical understanding of climate change. The aim of the PERSIST project was to assess the effectiveness of a school educational intervention to strengthen literacy on the climate crisis, pro-environmental behaviours, and systems thinking in high school students (aged 14-18 years). METHODS: Three meetings were carried out in a scientific high school in the suburbs of Rome (Italy) between March 21, and April 12, 2023, using complex systems models, group activities, and collective discussions. Pre-intervention and post-intervention questionnaires were administered to students to record knowledge, climate-related emotions, and pro-environmental behaviours. Questionnaires that were complete were considered valid. The anonymously collected data were processed using descriptive statistics and t test. FINDINGS: A total of 273 students in ten different classes attending between grades 1 and 4 took part in the project. 78 (36%) participants were female, 133 (62%) were male, and four (2%) did not disclose their gender. The mean age was 15 years. We received 211 pairs of valid pre-intervention and post-intervention questionnaires. The preliminary analysis showed an average increase of 19% in correct responses to knowledge questions, a 21·2% increase in pro-environmental behaviours, and no discernible differences in climate-related emotions between pre-intervention and post-intervention questionnaires. INTERPRETATION: An interactive approach and the use of complex systems might improve students' literacy and attitudes towards the climate crisis, without increasing negative ecological emotions. This pilot project can guide similar, repeatable programmes in other schools and countries and it represents the first measure of climate-related emotions after school intervention. FUNDING: None.

Impact of tobacco habits on poor oral health status among bone-factory workers in a low literacy city in India: A cross-sectional study.

Oral health is a vital indicator of well-being that is influenced by various habits and lifestyles of individuals. Oral diseases are the bottleneck in the effective control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to chronic in nature and reciprocal relationship as sharing the common risk factors and habits such as sugar, tobacco, and alcohol consumption that increase the risk of developing various inevitable diseases. However, there is a lack of literature highlighting the relationship between risk factors for oral diseases and general health among individuals. This cross-sectional study was carried out among 500 study participants aged 20 to 64 years who gave written informed consent and were recruited by Multistage Stratified Cluster Sampling technique among workers in five bone factories, working for at least one year since January 2001 to March 2022 in Sambhal city, Uttar Pradesh. WHO-Basic Oral Health Survey-1997 was used to record the data regarding sociodemographic and oral health status variables. We used the modified WHO-STEPWISE pre-structured questionnaire to record tobacco consumption habits and oral health-seeking behavior. We scheduled a clinical intra-oral examination to record the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and the interview on the premises of five bone factories. Among the 500 bone-factory workers, the total number of males was 342 (68.40%) and 158 (31.60%) were females. The mean age (Standard Deviation) was 33.18 (10), and the mean DMFT score of factory workers was 2.84 (3.12). Production workers had the highest mean DMFT score of 4.60 (3.25). More than half of the factory workers (53.2%) were tobacco users. Tobacco users were 3.52 times more likely to have a severe DMFT index. Most common pre-cancerous lesions were oral submucous fibrosis and leukoplakia. Compared to non-tobacco users, mild tobacco users have 6.80 folds higher odds of oral lesions. Tobacco consumption is not only harmful for oral health but also leads to several non-communicable and systemic diseases. NCDs and dental caries are chronic and preventable conditions with a bidirectional relationship implicated by modifiable major risk factors such as tobacco consumption. Decreasing the consumption of tobacco use may improve oral health and reduce the risk of the development of NCDs. Also, regular dental visits should be scheduled to monitor the oral health status of factory workers. Additionally, tailored intervention for tobacco cessation should be implicated to maintain the general and oral health of industrial workers.

Literacy overrides effects of animacy: A picture-naming study with pre-literate German children and adult speakers of German and Arabic.

Animacy plays a key role for human cognition, which is also reflected in the way humans process language. However, while experiments on sentence processing show reliable effects of animacy on word order and grammatical function assignment, effects of animacy on conjoined noun phrases (e.g., fish and shoe vs. shoe and fish) have yielded inconsistent results. In the present study, we tested the possibility that effects of animacy are outranked by reading and writing habits. We examined adult speakers of German (left-to-right script) and speakers of Arabic (right-to-left script), as well as German preschool children who do not yet know how to read and write. Participants were tested in a picture naming task that presented an animate and an inanimate entity next to one another. On half of the trials, the animate entity was located on the left and, on the other half, it was located on the right side of the screen. We found that adult German and Arabic speakers differed in their order of naming. Whereas German speakers were much more likely to mention the animate entity first when it was presented on the left than on the right, a reverse tendency was observed for speakers of Arabic. Thus, in literate adults, the ordering of conjoined noun phrases was influenced by reading and writing habits rather than by the animacy status of an entity. By contrast, pre-literate children preferred to start their utterances with the animate entity regardless of position, suggesting that effects of animacy in adults have been overwritten by effects of literacy.

Population ageing, incarceration and the growing digital divide: Understanding the effects of digital literacy inequity experienced by older people leaving prison.

BACKGROUND: Digital inequity refers to the inequality and exclusion experienced by those who lack the same opportunities or circumstances to support the development of digital skills as the rest of modern society. One rapidly growing and highly vulnerable group to digital inequity is older people attempting to reintegrate into society after release from prison, where technology access is limited. Inadequate support for digital skills in this population entails widespread consequences for public health, human rights, social welfare and recidivism. This qualitative study is the first to: examine digital inequity experienced by older people who have been incarcerated, understand the effects of this on reintegration to society, and begin informing appropriate solutions. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with N = 15 older people (mean age = 57) who had been released from an Australian prison in the last two years, regarding their experiences of digital literacy since leaving prison. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted under a critical realist lens. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in six themes that illustrated the extent of digital inequity experienced by this population, and key challenges for improving digital literacy: 'surviving in a digital world', 'stranger in a foreign world', 'questioning the digital divide', 'overcoming your "old" self', 'don't like what you don't know', and 'seeking versus finding help'. CONCLUSIONS: The digital inequity that older people experience during and after incarceration creates additional challenges for a growing group who are already medically and socially marginalised. Prioritisation of this group for digital literacy initiatives both during incarceration and in the community will have benefits for their health, social and financial reintegration. Their unique life experiences should be considered in designing and delivering these programs. Simultaneously, prisons should be cognizant of the potential detrimental effects of technology restriction on reintegration and criminogenic outcomes.

ChatGPT: Literate or intelligent about UN sustainable development goals?

Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are progressively transforming numerous sectors, demonstrating a capacity to impact human life dramatically. This research seeks to evaluate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) literacy of ChatGPT, which is crucial for diverse stakeholders involved in SDG-related policies. Experimental outcomes from two widely used Sustainability Assessment tests-the UN SDG Fitness Test and Sustainability Literacy Test (SULITEST) - suggest that ChatGPT exhibits high SDG literacy, yet its comprehensive SDG intelligence needs further exploration. The Fitness Test gauges eight vital competencies across introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels. Accurate mapping of these to the test questions is essential for partial evaluation of SDG intelligence. To assess SDG intelligence, the questions from both tests were mapped to 17 SDGs and eight cross-cutting SDG core competencies, but both test questionnaires were found to be insufficient. SULITEST could satisfactorily map only 5 out of 8 competencies, whereas the Fitness Test managed to map 6 out of 8. Regarding the coverage of the Fitness Test and SULITEST, their mapping to the 17 SDGs, both tests fell short. Most SDGs were underrepresented in both instruments, with certain SDGs not represented at all. Consequently, both tools proved ineffective in assessing SDG intelligence through SDG coverage. The study recommends future versions of ChatGPT to enhance competencies such as collaboration, critical thinking, systems thinking, and others to achieve the SDGs. It concludes that while AI models like ChatGPT hold considerable potential in sustainable development, their usage must be approached carefully, considering current limitations and ethical implications.

Parents on the Concept of Physical Literacy: What Do They Know, What Do They Do, and What Do They Want?

Physical literacy development in early childhood, viewed by many as the foundation for lifelong physical activity engagement, is significantly influenced by parents. Our aim was to explore parents' understanding of physical literacy and gain insight into their perspectives on physical literacy promotion. We recruited 18 parents of children between 5 and 8 years old in Australia. Using semistructured interviews and thematic analysis, we identified several key issues regarding parents' understanding and implementation of physical literacy. Parents expressed interest in improving their implementation of physical literacy practices and had (often unintentionally) provided support for physical literacy subcomponents in the past. However, they described difficulties prioritizing physical literacy above other parental demands and expressed conflicting perceptions regarding where the responsibility should lie for developing their child's physical literacy (e.g., at home or at school). To ensure that the physical literacy "message" reaches parents, we encourage physical literacy promoters to consider the target (e.g., responsibility, priorities, and awareness) of their promotional strategies. Further investigation into the influence of sociocultural and economic factors on parents' understanding and application of physical literacy is warranted.

The validity of the Physical Literacy in Children Questionnaire in children aged 4 to 12.

BACKGROUND: Given the growing evidence on the health benefits associated with physical literacy (PL), it is necessary to develop sound measures to assess the levels of PL in children. The Physical Literacy in Children Questionnaire (PL-C Quest) is the first self-report pictorial-based scale to assess children's perceived PL. It has good validity and reliability in Australian children aged 7 to 12 years, but little is known in younger children and in other cultural contexts. The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability in an expanded age range. METHODS: A total of 1,870 Chinese children (girls, n = 871; 46.6%), aged 4 to 12 years (M = 8.07 ± 2.42) participated in validity testing. Structural equation modeling with the Weighted Least Squares with Mean and Variance approach was used to assess construct validity. The hypothesized theoretical model used the 30 items and four hypothesized factors: physical, psychological, social and cognitive capabilities. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess sex and age group (4-6 years, 7-9 years and 10-12 years) measurement invariance. Internal consistency analyses were conducted using polychoric alpha. A random subsample (n = 262) was selected to determine test-retest reliability using Intra-Class Correlations (ICC). RESULTS: All items except one (moving with equipment-skateboarding) loaded on sub-domains with λ > 0.45. The hypothesized model had a good fit (CFI = 0.954, TLI = 0.950, RMSEA = 0.042), with measurement equivalence across sex and age groups separately. Internal consistency values were good to excellent (overall: α = 0.94; physical: α = 0.86; psychological: α = 0.83; social: α = 0.81; cognitive: α = 0.86). Test-retest reliability was adequate to excellent (overall: ICC = 0.90, physical: ICC = 0.86, psychological: ICC = 0.75, social: ICC = 0.71, cognitive: ICC = 0.72). CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of the PL-C Quest is valid and reliable for testing the self-reported PL of Chinese children aged 4 to 12. This study provides the first evidence of validity for this tool in children aged 4-6 years and also evidence that the PL-C Quest would be a meaningful instrument to assess PL in Chinese children.

Cultivating Healthier Habits: The Impact of Workplace Teaching Kitchens on Employee Food Literacy.

This research explores the impact of workplace teaching kitchen cooking classes on participants' food literacy and identifies key predictors of employee engagement. Aligning with the existing literature, we demonstrate that a workplace teaching kitchen program, with hands-on cooking classes, effectively enhances food skills and intrinsic motivation-core aspects of food literacy. Importantly, our results reveal that even a single class can have a measurable impact. Teaching kitchens can successfully engage employees, particularly those with low food skills, showcasing their broad appeal beyond individuals already engaged in wellness or seeking social connection. Awareness emerges as the most influential predictor of participation, emphasizing the crucial role of marketing. Virtual classes prove as effective as onsite ones, offering the potential to increase access for employees. Recognizing employee wellness as a strategic opportunity for employers and a sought-after benefit for top talent, we underscore the importance of practical nutrition education to support individuals in shifting food choices within lifestyle constraints. Workplace teaching kitchens emerge as an effective and scalable solution to address this need. Future research should prioritize exploring the lasting impacts of teaching kitchen education on employee eating habits and health, contributing to ongoing strategy refinement.

Effectiveness of a media literacy-based smoking prevention program in female adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effectiveness of a media literacy-based smoking prevention program based on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior in female adolescents. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with female high school students aged 16-17 years in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The program provided eight sessions over 4 weeks. Quantitative data were collected before and after online surveys in an intervention (n = 21) and control (n = 21) groups, and analyzed using mixed analysis of variance. Qualitative data on participation experiences was collected by requesting the participants to answer open-ended questions once a week during the intervention and performing co-occurrence analysis of specific terms in the responses was conducted through text mining. RESULTS: Although the program decreased smoking intention and increased smoking media literacy in the intervention group, there were no significant differences between the groups. Qualitative results obtained from the intervention group showed cognitive and behavioral changes in the perception of the harmfulness of e-cigarettes in the media and the expression of a willingness to overcome the temptation to smoke. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that the enhancement of smoking media literacy, specifically by correcting misconceptions regarding e-cigarettes promoted by the new media, contributes smoking prevention in female adolescents. It supports calls for an expanded role of public health professionals in health education at the school level.

Early life stress, literacy and dyslexia: an evolutionary perspective.

Stress and learning co-evolved in parallel, with their interdependence critical to the survival of the species. Even today, the regulation of moderate levels of stress by the central autonomic network (CAN), especially during pre- and post-natal periods, facilitates biological adaptability and is an essential precursor for the cognitive requisites of learning to read. Reading is a remarkable evolutionary achievement of the human brain, mysteriously unusual, because it is not pre-wired with a genetic address to facilitate its acquisition. There is no gene for reading. The review suggests that reading co-opts a brain circuit centered in the left hemisphere ventral occipital cortex that evolved as a domain-general visual processor. Its adoption by reading depends on the CAN's coordination of the learning and emotional requirements of learning to read at the metabolic, cellular, synaptic, and network levels. By stabilizing a child's self-control and modulating the attention network's inhibitory controls over the reading circuit, the CAN plays a key role in school readiness and learning to read. In addition, the review revealed two beneficial CAN evolutionary adjustments to early-life stress "overloads" that come with incidental costs of school under-performance and dyslexia. A short-term adaptation involving methylation of the FKBP5 and NR3C1 genes is a liability for academic achievement in primary school. The adaptation leading to dyslexia induces alterations in BDNF trafficking, promoting long-term adaptive fitness by protecting against excessive glucocorticoid toxicity but risks reading difficulties by disruptive signaling from the CAN to the attention networks and the reading circuit.

Literacy and attitude of Asian youths on dengue and its prevention in an endemic developed community.

Background: Over the past few decades, the incidence of dengue fever has considerably increased. Effective vector control strategies and specific protection using dengue vaccine are thought to be the key elements to combat dengue. The dengue incidence among the Singapore youths (15-24 years) was second only to that of adults (25-44 years). This study evaluated the knowledge and attitude of Singapore youths on dengue and its preventive measures. Methods: A cross-sectional study using online-based questionnaire survey was conducted among Singapore youths from September to November 2022. Data were analyzed for descriptive statistics whereas Chi-squared test, linear regression analysis and Pearson correlation were used to determine the association between demographic factors and youth's attitude on dengue prevention using Rstudio. Results: A total of 624 respondents completed the survey out of 1822 surveys distributed nation-wide, with a response rate of 34.2% (mean age 17.4 years ± 1.84; 59.3% female; 89.9% Chinese). The mean dengue knowledge scores of participants were 14.1 ±2.8. Univariate analysis showed that teenagers (15-19 years) had significantly higher knowledge score than the young adults (20-24 years) (ß=0.82,95%CI = 0.13-1.51, p = 0.021). Majority of them were aware of the Mozzie Wipeout campaign (90.2%) followed by the release of Wolbachia mosquitos (69.1%). Two-thirds of the youths who were aware of Wolbachia and Gravitrap considered that it was effective in reducing dengue infection rates. Participants suggested information about the current dengue infection rate (71.9%) as the most effective of the five proposed strategies to improve uptake of dengue preventive measures. In comparison to young adults, teenagers were more likely to uptake dengue preventive measures if widespread mosquito control practices were implemented (69.1% vs. 42.3%). Conclusion: The overall knowledge of the youths on dengue and its prevention was satisfactory. Future health promotion campaigns targeting the youths should focus on transforming the knowledge into practice.

A remotely-delivered pilot and feasibility program to promote physical and food literacy in adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Youth with intellectual disabilities experience disparities in physical activity and diet quality. Physical and food literacy are hypothesised to support adoption of healthy lifestyles; however, few such interventions have been developed for this population. METHOD: Participants with intellectual disabilities ages 12-16 years were recruited for a 12-week online sports skills and nutrition education intervention. Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy were assessed by attendance, satisfaction, and pre-post measures of motor skills, perceived competence and motivation for physical activity, classifying foods, making healthy choices, and food consumption. RESULTS: Six teens participated in the program and attended 87.5% of the sessions. Satisfaction data suggested that the program was well-received by both teens and parents. Trends toward improvements on physical activity and nutrition outcome measures were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary data from this pilot study suggest that physical and food literacy in youth with intellectual disabilities can be improved, which in turn may contribute to the adoption of healthy lifestyles.

Linking patient-centered communication with cancer information avoidance: The mediating roles of patient trust and literacy.

OBJECTIVES: This study, drawing on the pathway mediation model developed by Street and his colleagues (2009) that links communication to health outcomes, explores how patient-centered communication affects cancer information avoidance. METHODS: Data was gathered through online access panel surveys, utilizing stratified sampling across Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Austria. The final sample included 4910 non-cancer and 414 cancer patients, all receiving healthcare from clinicians within the past year. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that patient-centered communication is directly associated with reduced cancer information avoidance, especially among cancer patients. Additionally, this association is indirectly mediated through patient trust and healthcare literacy. CONCLUSION: The findings provide empirical evidence that reveals the underlying mechanism linking clinician-patient communication to patient health information behavior. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The potential of clinician-patient communication in addressing health information avoidance is highlighted by these findings. Future interventions in healthcare settings should consider adopting patient-centered communication strategies. Additionally, improving patient trust and literacy levels could be effective in reducing cancer information avoidance.