How can healthcare professionals provide guidance and support to parents of adolescents? Results from a primary care-based study

Determining the Impact of Lifestyle on the Health of Primary School Children in Slovenia Through Mixed Membership Focus Groups

Lifestyle choices made by children and adolescents can lead to a variety of health problems. It is therefore crucial to evaluate the state health-related lifestyles of primary school children's and identify areas for improvement. The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences and perspectives of those involved in educating current generations of primary school children about their lifestyle and the associated health implications of their behavior. Four focus groups were formed, comprising parents, primary school teachers, health professionals, and leisure activity teachers, with five participants in each group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each group as part of the qualitative research paradigm of the study. The study revealed three central themes, emphasizing the need to promote health and educate children about healthy behaviors, environmental influences, and health literacy. Community nurses need to take a proactive role in promoting school health. Although adults, peers, and the environment exert a strong influence on children's lifestyles, they often fail to live up to their responsibilities and allow harmful habits to form. To instill positive behaviors and an optimistic attitude towards a healthy lifestyle, all those involved in a child's education need to collaborate. Health-related topics should be included or reinforced in primary school curricula, and parents and school staff should receive appropriate training.

Provider Facilitation of Parent-Adolescent Health Communication: Findings From a National Survey

INTRODUCTION

Primary care providers are well-positioned to facilitate parent-adolescent health communication. We examined provider-facilitated parent-adolescent health communication prevalence and associations with parent-adolescent health communication.

METHOD

Using data from a national survey of parent-adolescent dyads (n = 853), we calculated the prevalence of provider-facilitated parent-adolescent health communication about 11 topics as a result of adolescent's last preventive visit. We examined correlates of of provider-facilitatedparent-adolescent communication and associations with with parent-adolescent communication.

RESULTS

Eighteen percent of adolescents reported that a provider helped them talk with their parent about a health concern, with little variability by adolescent, parent, or provider characteristics. Prevalence of parent-adolescent communication because of an adolescent's last preventive visit ranged between 38.4% and 79.5%. Provider facilitation was positively associated with parent-adolescent communication for all topics.

DISCUSSION

Given the low prevalence of provider-facilitated-parent-adolescent health communication and positive associations between provider facilitation and parent-adolescent communication about multiple important health-related topics, efforts to improve this practice could be beneficial.

Correspondence between Parents' and Adolescents' Sleep Duration

This study explored the correspondence between adolescents’ sleep duration and that of their parents and identified the factors affecting the appropriate sleep duration for adolescents. The data of 795 adolescents from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2015–2018) were analyzed. We used Cohen’s kappa coefficient to measure the correspondence between adolescents’ sleep duration and that of their parents. A multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors affecting adequate sleep duration among adolescents. Our study found that factors such as adolescents’ gender, father’s education level, and drinking among adolescents and parents influenced the adolescents’ sleep duration. Second, a higher correspondence between the sleep duration of adolescents and that of mothers (Kappa = 0.213, p < 0.001) was found compared to that of fathers (Kappa = 0.064, p = 0.031). Finally, an adequate sleep duration among adolescents’ mothers was a major factor that influenced the adequate sleep duration of adolescents (OR = 2.494, 95% CI = 1.850–3.362, p < 0.001). Therefore, when organizing adolescent sleep education and management programs in various community sleep management institutions, the main caregiver’s sleep duration management and family drinking management should be combined. Additionally, gender equality awareness should be improved for parenting, including monitoring adolescents’ sleep accordingly.