Clinical trial NCT06826911: The Effect of Health Literacy of Teachers and Parents on the Quality of Life of Primary School Students
Official title: The Effect of Health Literacy of Teachers and Parents on the Quality of Life of Primary School Students
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Conditions: Health Literacy
Life Quality
Keywords: Health literacy
Life quality
Primary school students
Lead sponsor: Duzce University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2025-02-14
Enrollment: 2355
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: OTHER
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The study will be conducted at Uzun Mustafa Primary School, affiliated with the Ministry of National Education, in the city centre of Düzce between December 2024 and June 2025. A total of 52 teachers working at Uzun Mustafa Primary School, along with 1,151 students and their parents, will be included in the study.

Brief summary: Health literacy (HL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "the achievement of a level of knowledge, personal skills, and confidence to take action to improve individual and community health by changing lifestyle and living conditions". Health literacy encompasses various skills that enhance individuals' quality of life, such as accessing accurate health information, adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours, utilizing healthcare services, and making informed health-related decisions. To raise the health literacy of a society, it is essential first to identify and enhance the health literacy of the family, the smallest unit of society. Moreover, it is well-established that parents serve as role models in fostering positive health behaviours and improving the quality of life of their children.

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the health literacy of teachers and parents, who are thought to influence school-age children's perceptions of health and life, on the quality of life of primary school students.

Detailed description: Health literacy (HL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "achieving a level of knowledge, personal skills, and confidence to take action to improve individual and community health by changing lifestyle and living conditions". Health literacy is considered a concept encompassing various skills that enhance individuals' quality of life, such as accessing accurate health information, adopting healthy lifestyle behaviours, utilizing healthcare services, and making informed health-related decisions. To improve society's health literacy, it is crucial first to identify and develop the health literacy of the family, the smallest unit of society. Adult family members are not only responsible for their health but also for fostering their children's health behaviours and meeting their health needs. Parents are known to serve as role models in encouraging positive health behaviours and enhancing their children's quality of life. Low health literacy in adults is associated with adverse health outcomes. Parents who struggle to take responsibility for their health are likely to face challenges in addressing their children's health needs, which may lead to frequent health problems in children. Studies reveal that parents with low health literacy are insufficient in meeting their children's health needs, utilizing healthcare services, taking precautions against health risks, ensuring proper medication use and monitoring side effects, managing chronic illnesses, and encouraging their children to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviours. The school-age period is particularly significant as it is a critical phase of rapid social, physical, and cognitive development, shaping a healthy and successful society. Schools are central to children's social interactions, where they spend most of their time, and thus teachers play an important role as role models in their lives. Studies in our country indicate that teachers' health literacy levels are often insufficient.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of teachers' and parents' health literacy, thought to influence school-age children's perceptions of health and life, on the quality of life of primary school students. The study is expected to contribute to protecting public health, developing health services and policies aimed at improving the health literacy of parents and teachers and preventing health inequalities by enhancing students' quality of life.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Students, parents and teachers located at Uzun Mustafa Primary School in the city centre of Düzce.

  * Voluntary participation in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Parents who do not agree to participate in the study and their children will be excluded from the research.
* Teachers who do not agree to participate.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Health literacy
timeFrame: one day
measure: The Generic Health-Related Quality of Life Scale for Children
timeFrame: one day
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Duzce
country: Turkey
facility: Duzce University
Study officials:
affiliation: Duzce University
name: Merve Cakar, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: