Welcome to the final issue of 2018. In this issue we are delighted to present the first letter from our new President of the Institute of Health Promotion and Education, Sylvia Cheater, MBE. We welcome our new President into the role and wish her well for her term of office.
This issue contains papers from Inner Mongolia, the United States, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates showing the breadth of international work that is taking place in health education, health promotion and public health. The first paper by Takashi et al. examines psychological variables contributing to smoking cessation in students in Inner Mongolia. The study was based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The results suggest that a personalized approach is potentially an effective strategy for encouraging smoking cessation for this group. The authors note that whilst smoking and other health problems are a serious concern in students in Inner Mongolia there has been very little research carried out in the region. This paper is a move towards addressing this.
Keeping with the theme of lifestyle factors the second paper by Franks et al., from the United States of America, focuses on physical activity in adults and recognises the important role that significant others have to play in our health behaviour. The aim of the study was to examine two couple-focused interventions designed to promote physical activity in older adults. The results indicate that couple-focused physical activity interventions can promote physical activity in this group.
In an interesting paper from Nepal by Caagbay et al. explores the impact of an educational workshop for auxiliary nurse midwives on pelvic floor muscle training. The training was designed to ultimately benefit women in Nepal who suffer from pelvic floor disorders but have limited access to health advice. The workshop significantly increased the auxiliary nurse midwives’ knowledge and their ability to teach pelvic floor muscle training indicating that the educational workshop was a worthwhile public health strategy for reaching women in rural and hard to reach settings.
The final paper in this issue focuses on health literacy in female university students in the United Arab Emirates. The results of the study indicate that approximately half of the 456 students surveyed did not possess the requisite health-related knowledge or skills required to successfully navigate the healthcare system or adhere to complex instructions from care providers. In addition, there were statistically significant differences in levels of health literacy based on the respondents’ perceived health status, date of last healthcare consultation, and exercise frequency. The authors make recommendations for health promotion policy, practice and further research.
Health promotion emphasises the social determinants of health and the impact that these have on health behaviour and health outcomes. To this end we are pleased to announce a further call for papers for a special issue. Here is the overview:
There is a wide appreciation and evidence base that shows the impact of social factors on the health and well-being of communities, but health promotion programmes overwhelmingly remain focused on behavioural outcomes and modifying ‘lifestyle’. While lifestyle interventions have a major contribution to make in addressing health outcomes and addressing inequalities, they are often limited in understanding wider social constraints on the lives of individuals and communities. This special edition will focus on how tackling wider social determinants (transport, housing, employment, poverty, education) can contribute to health promotion. The special edition welcomes papers from different methodological perspectives; evidence syntheses; and discussion and theoretical papers.
Possible subject areas will include Social and community network; Poverty; Education; Housing; Employment/Unemployment/work; Water and Sanitation; Transport; and Underserved/Vulnerable Groups. The deadline for submission is 31st May 2019.
We hope you enjoy reading this double issue and we welcome your comments on, and contributions, to the journal. If you would like to become a reviewer for the journal we would love to hear from you. Please do get in touch via email at: [email protected]. Join us in championing health promotion and making a difference.