What do children understand? Communicating health behavior in a European multicenter study

Journal article | Zeitschriftenartikel

Background: Diet and physical activity are important factors in the prevention of childhood overweight. This article stresses the importance of effective communication for health behavior. Methods: Transcription, description and analysis of standardized focus group discussions (FGD) in seven European countries using standardized questioning routes. Results: Parents are well informed about health-related topics for children, but seem to have difficulties understanding their role in promoting healthy behavior. They mentioned health-related rules, but our results show limited communication between parents and children, and no follow-up of rules. Consequently, children do not understand rules about good health and do not follow them. Conclusion: Effective and sustainable intervention programs should focus on educational methods and, using parental role modeling, facilitate parents' comprehension of their key role in setting rules and controlling them in order to communicate good health behavior to their children.

Object Details

• Alternative title: Was verstehen Kinder? Kommuniziertes Gesundheitsverhalten in einer europäisch-multizentrischen Studie
• Extent: Seite(n): 391-401
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Status: Postprint; begutachtet (peer reviewed)

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Journal of Public Health, 18(4)

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Soziologie, Anthropologie ; Jugendsoziologie, Soziologie der Kindheit ; Medizinsoziologie ; Bundesrepublik Deutschland ; Kommunikation ; ernährungsbedingte Krankheit ; Estland ; Italien ; Jugendlicher ; Kind ; Eltern-Kind-Beziehung ; Fernsehen ; Gesundheitsverhalten ; Schweden ; Sport ; Freizeitverhalten ; Verstehen ; Zypern ; kommunikative Kompetenz ; Spanien ; internationaler Vergleich ; Ungarn ; Übergewicht ; empirisch ; empirisch-quantitativ

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Hebestreit, Antje ; Keimer, Katharina Maria ; Hassel, Holger ; Nappo, Annunziata ; Eiben, Gabriele ; Fernández, Juan Miguel ; Kovacs, Eva ; Lasn, Helen ; Shiakou, Monica ; Ahrens, Wolfgang
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Deutschland
• (when): 2010

Further information

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-010-0316-z
• URN: urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-203703
• Rights: GESIS - Leibniz-Institut für Sozialwissenschaften. Bibliothek Köln
• Last update: 21.06.2024, 4:26 PM CEST