Welcome to this issue of the International Journal of Health Promotion and Education. We hope you enjoy reading this interesting selection of papers from Iran, North American, Rwanda and Chile, respectively.
The first paper in this issue explores the effects of an empowerment programme based on the Health Belief Model on care behaviours of preterm infants’ mothers. This study, by Ghomi et al., was carried out with women who had preterm infants being cared for in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Iran. Ghomi et al.’s findings suggest that empowerment programmes based on the Health Belief Model have the potential to positively affect factors such as perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy and knowledge. They argue that, in consequence, the care behaviours of preterm infants’ mothers may be improved and that they may be better prepared to take care of their infants after they are discharged from the hospital. The importance of such findings is clear since neonatal health is such an important public health issue, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where infant mortality and morbidity is high. This study also brings to bear the importance of empowerment which is a central plank of health promotion.
The next paper by Jung explores the influence of a school-based nutrition education programme on healthy eating literacy and healthy food choice among primary school children. Childhood obesity and overweight continue to be a major public health issue in many countries of the global north bringing numerous short- and long-term risks to those affected. This study carried out in the United States of America, evaluated the effectiveness of the ‘Healthy Highway Program’ designed to improve healthy eating knowledge and food choices using a number of innovative methods. The findings suggest that the intervention had several positive outcomes including an increase in knowledge regarding healthier food choices. Importantly for health promotion, the authors also acknowledge the role that the environmental and policy level interventions have to play in tackling this serious issue highlighting how the responsibility for doing so lies with everyone.
Focusing on another important global health priority, the third paper is from Rwanda and presents the best practices and lessons learned from a short course on conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for Non-Communicable Disease Program Managers. Like other low-income countries, Rwanda is experiencing an increase in the number of people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as epidemiological transition occurs resulting in NCDs (collectively) becoming the leading cause of death in Rwanda. As this paper shows, addressing this issue requires a competent workforce and health system both of which need developing and strengthening. The authors argue that inter-sectoral approaches are vital for achieving change and discuss this specifically in relation to the Rwandan context however, the lessons learned are likely transferable to other countries.
The final paper by Nazar et al. comes from Chile and presents an analysis of a range of lifestyle behaviours among university students. The findings were that students who lived with families and engaged in religious and sporting activities were more likely to engage in healthier lifestyles whilst young men between the ages of 22 and 24 years were more likely to exhibit high-risk behaviours. The authors conclude that their findings reinforce the need to address health promotion in a meaningful manner and that identifying groups that are more likely to exhibit high-risk behaviours may enable the development of more effective health promotion interventions.
Individual empowerment, knowledge, health literacy and lifestyle behaviours are known to be determinants of health; however, there are many other determinants of health that impact on health experience and health outcomes in arguably greater ways. We are therefore pleased to reiterate a final call for papers for a special issue on social determinants of health. Here is the overview once again:
There are 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 to 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 31 May 2019.
We hope you enjoy reading this 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.