Health Promotion International[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Utilizing a steering committee to implement Health in All Policies in a rural, micro-urban community.
Comey DL, Hanson BL, Neavill ME … +3 more , Church SP, MacFarlane J, Madsen M
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41618527 · Full text
A multi-sector coalition in southwest Montana was established to bring a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach to a rural and micro-urban community in southwest Montana. This project recruited local steering committee m...
A multi-sector coalition in southwest Montana was established to bring a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach to a rural and micro-urban community in southwest Montana. This project recruited local steering committee members from public health, government, transportation, social services, development, preservation, and education and organized them into work groups to design and implement rural-specific HiAP activities in their community. Workgroups were focused on ensuring community relevance and buy-in, developing and delivering curriculum, and data and evaluation. The steering committee met regularly during the project period; outcomes included a locally relevant project name and developing and delivering customized curriculum to multiple audiences. Post-implementation interviews were conducted with HiAP steering committee members (n = 7). Steering committee members report that participation in the HiAP project helped them better to understand social determinants of health, they believed in the mission of the steering committee, and they trusted the leadership of this collaborative work. A specific HiAP approach led by a multi-sector steering committee may be beneficial in helping to integrate HiAP in rural and micro-urban communities.
Making sense of healthy and sustainable food: adolescents' voices on what it means, why it matters, and future change.
Mesch A, Hoefnagels F, Gulikers J … +4 more , Wesselink R, Winkens LHH, Raghoebar S, Haveman-Nies A
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41618526 · Full text
Despite growing research on school food interventions aimed at promoting sustainable and healthy diets, the perspectives of adolescents regarding those interventions remain underexplored. This study explores adolescents'...
Despite growing research on school food interventions aimed at promoting sustainable and healthy diets, the perspectives of adolescents regarding those interventions remain underexplored. This study explores adolescents' understanding, perceived importance, and proposed strategies for (facilitating) healthy and sustainable food choices. A mixed-methods study was conducted among 296 adolescents (aged 12-16) at four Dutch secondary schools. Data was gathered through four consecutive methods: a questionnaire, focus group discussions, classroom discussions, and a group poster assignment. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression analyses. Qualitative data were analysed inductively through thematic analysis. Adolescents primarily associated healthy and sustainable food with vegetables, fruit, and organic products. Two-thirds of the sample perceived eating healthy food as (very) important, compared to 21% for sustainable food, while 12% indicated not knowing what sustainable food entails. Proposed strategies to facilitate healthy and sustainable food were grouped in four main categories: 'strategies to change the food environment' (e.g. price), 'strategies to change the food system' (e.g. sustainable food production), 'strategies for communication and social support' (e.g. advertisements), and 'individual behaviour change strategies' (e.g. grocery planning). Most strategies targeted the food environment and/or the food system. While health aspects of food were well understood and perceived as important by adolescents, future approaches should emphasize the relevance of sustainable food for adolescents by addressing values they care about. Adolescents call for structural changes, particularly requiring governmental and organizational actions to improve the offer of healthy, sustainable, and affordable food, requiring collaboration of diverse stakeholders.
Salutogenesis for health promotion: tensions and future directions for physical activity/active living research.
Lee EY, Jeon JY, Spence JC
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41615319 · Full text
A binary view of health, categorizing individuals as either healthy or diseased, has directed much of physical activity research toward evidencing its biomedical benefits. Physical activity is positioned primarily as a m...
A binary view of health, categorizing individuals as either healthy or diseased, has directed much of physical activity research toward evidencing its biomedical benefits. Physical activity is positioned primarily as a means of reducing risk or preventing illness with an appropriate lifestyle modification (e.g. meeting guidelines), reinforcing a pathogenic perspective. A salutogenic perspective, grounded in the 'dis-ease-ease' continuum, emphasizes health as a dynamic process rather than a fixed state. Within this continuum, physical activity is seen not only as preventive but also as a resource that helps individuals navigate daily stressors and move toward greater well-being. This perspective aligns with broader commitments to 'active living,' which extend beyond structured exercise to include how people integrate movement into everyday life. It also advances global declarations, such as the Ottawa Charter, which call for strengthening resources, enabling supportive environments, and addressing the social conditions that shape well-being. To realize this potential, physical activity research should be reframed under the broader 'active living' agenda through a salutogenic perspective that moves beyond risk reduction. Salutogenesis provides a compelling framework for understanding health as resource-oriented and dynamic. However, its application within physical activity research remains under-developed. Looking ahead, greater conceptual clarity is needed to explain how physical activity interacts with sense of coherence, stress management, and everyday meaning making, as well as how social and environmental factors enable or constrain these processes. Advancing salutogenesis in physical activity/active living research can move the field past binary metrics and highlight how active living fosters health-promoting, salutogenic societies.
Physical activity promotion in Quebec primary schools: equity, intervention practices, and areas for improvement.
O'Loughlin EK, Marashi M, Wellman RJ … +3 more , Pelekanakis A, Doré I, O'Loughlin JL
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41615318 · Full text
Schools are pivotal in promoting physical activity (PA) among children through supportive environments and targeted programming. Despite this, in 2024, only 39% of Canadian children met PA guidelines, with inequity linke...
Schools are pivotal in promoting physical activity (PA) among children through supportive environments and targeted programming. Despite this, in 2024, only 39% of Canadian children met PA guidelines, with inequity linked to socioeconomic status. This study describes the availability of PA activities and facilities in Quebec primary schools according to school deprivation levels and the extent to which school-based PA health promotion interventions (PA-HPIs) incorporated 16 empirically supported components and processes. In Project PromeSS, structured telephone interviews were conducted from 2016 to 2019 with key informants (primarily school principals) across 171 Quebec primary schools. PA activities and facilities were generally perceived as available and adequate across all deprivation levels. Nearly all schools (98%) reported PA-HPIs aligned with their mission and values; 96% addressed multiple core competencies; and 86% involved staff in planning. However, only 13% engaged students or peers in intervention development, 35% provided training for internal facilitators, and 35% conducted formal evaluations of PA-HPIs. Availability of PA activities and facilities across deprivation levels may relate to provincial efforts to promote resource equity, although policy impact cannot be inferred from these data. Enhancing underused empirically supported components (student engagement, staff training, program evaluation, and multi-session interventions) could improve the effectiveness and sustainability of school-based PA-HPIs.
Correction to: 'Everyone's a bit buzzed, why not share that': exploring alcohol-related user-generated content among young people in Victoria, Australia.
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41607256 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Virtual reality in school-based health promotion: a mixed-methods evaluation of adolescent alcohol, vaping, and other drug use prevention.
Jiang C, Saleme P, Dietrich T … +1 more , Durl J
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41589463 · Full text
School-based health promotion is a key setting for fostering positive youth health behaviours. Digital and immersive technologies offer promising opportunities to engage young people. This study explores a virtual realit...
School-based health promotion is a key setting for fostering positive youth health behaviours. Digital and immersive technologies offer promising opportunities to engage young people. This study explores a virtual reality (VR) intervention designed to prevent alcohol, vaping, and cannabis use among secondary school students. The intervention allowed students to navigate realistic, branching scenarios simulating peer pressure and substance use, aiming to enhance refusal strategies, critical thinking, and decision-making skills. A mixed-methods evaluation involving 277 students and nine teachers across four Australian schools was conducted. Postintervention surveys assessed engagement, immersion, emotional responses, and skill development, while focus groups and interviews explored participant experiences. Results indicate that students found the VR experience immersive and valuable, particularly for rehearsing peer resistance and evaluating the consequences of risky behaviours. Teachers viewed the intervention as a powerful tool for prompting reflection and discussion and a strong complement to existing health education curricula. Thematic analysis highlighted the importance of realism and interactivity for student engagement. While some technical and content improvements were identified, both students and teachers considered the VR tool effective for enhancing health literacy and behavioural readiness. This study shows that immersive VR can be a scalable, engaging addition to school-based health promotion, improving prevention skills and confidence in managing substance-related situations. As adolescent health behaviours are increasingly shaped by digital environments, immersive interventions such as VR offer a promising avenue for skill building and reflection. Further research should assess long-term impacts, with greater attention to implementation and equity considerations.
Participant perceptions of HAT TRICK™ Cricket: a culturally-adapted intervention for men with South Asian backgrounds in Australia.
Schulenkorf N, Koparan S, English M … +5 more , Sharp P, Sixsmith H, Wood LM, Farhart P, Caperchione CM
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41572924 · Full text
Individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds frequently experience complex health barriers arising from migration related factors and cultural differences within their new communities. Men wi...
Individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds frequently experience complex health barriers arising from migration related factors and cultural differences within their new communities. Men with South Asian backgrounds in Australia represent a group particularly affected by these intersecting factors in addition to gender-related influences. In response, HAT TRICK™ Cricket, a culturally adapted health promotion intervention aimed at improving physical activity, healthy eating, and mental fitness, was designed for men with South Asian backgrounds in Western Sydney, Australia. To explore participants' perspectives and experiences of the programme and its perceived outcomes on their health and well-being, semi-structured interviews (N = 13) were conducted approximately 2 weeks following programme completion. Three themes were inductively derived using thematic analysis: 'Pursuing personal growth and mastery on and off the pitch' which emerged through opportunities for experiential learning, culturally meaningful engagement, and skill development that collectively enhanced participants' confidence, sense of competence, and motivation to improve; 'Finding commonality and social connection' in which participants perceived the programme to foster meaningful interactions, facilitate the formation of new friendships, and strengthen existing relationships in a supportive environment that encouraged open and honest conversations extending beyond sport; and third, 'Translating knowledge into everyday action' which indicated that participants actively applied some of the skills and knowledge gained from the programme to improve their daily physical activity, nutrition, and mental health practices. These findings support the feasibility and value of culturally tailored sport-based health promotion programmes and can inform future initiatives for CALD communities.
A scoping review of measures to assess health professionals' competencies related to health literacy.
Mac O, Marshall S, McFadden K … +4 more , Ayre J, McCaffery KJ, Billah SM, Muscat DM
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41564018 · Full text
Health professionals play an important role in addressing health literacy and ensuring that health systems and information are easy to understand, access, and navigate. We conducted a scoping review to identify and descr...
Health professionals play an important role in addressing health literacy and ensuring that health systems and information are easy to understand, access, and navigate. We conducted a scoping review to identify and describe measures and tools that assess health professionals' health literacy competency related to knowledge, skills, practices, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavioural intentions. Electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PubMed, and Scopus were searched in August 2023 and updated in November 2024. Articles were eligible if they included a measure of health professionals' knowledge, skills, and competencies related to health literacy. We included quantitative studies conducted in all clinical settings and all study types. Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts, and full text articles. The relevant data were extracted and narratively synthesized. In total, 128 articles were identified. We identified 88 unique measures to assess health professionals' health literacy competencies, which were applied across a range of health professional contexts. Overall 59% (n = 76) of tools were purpose-built and used only once. The most frequently assessed domain of health literacy competency was performance-based knowledge, assessed by 45 unique measures. Thirty-seven unique measures reported some form of validity and/or reliability testing, however, of these measures only 16% (n = 6) examined construct validity. This review provides a comprehensive overview of existing measures and highlights the need for rigorous and externally valid tools that are more closely aligned with health literacy competency frameworks.
Did Australian policy prepare for a harmful algal bloom with significant human health impacts? Analysis and lessons from South Australia.
Baum F, Fisher M, Bogueva D … +3 more , Hayes A, Miller H, Marinova D
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41564017 · Full text
A harmful algal bloom (HAB) has spread to a third of South Australia's coasts, has devastated marine life and is affecting human physical and mental health and the fishing and tourism industries. We examine Australian Fe...
A harmful algal bloom (HAB) has spread to a third of South Australia's coasts, has devastated marine life and is affecting human physical and mental health and the fishing and tourism industries. We examine Australian Federal and State environmental and agricultural public policies to determine how well they were prepared to prevent and respond to a HAB with human health consequences. Document analysis techniques were used to examine the framing of 63 Australian public policies selected from a data set of 180. All documents were coded in Nvivo and analysed for their content relevant to HABs. In the policies, we only found cursory mentions of HABs. We identified three main issues in terms of their attention to HABs. First, there was no evidence of policies that would have led to any detailed planning for a HAB. Second, in terms of strategic actions, economic considerations are uppermost. Third, we found little consideration of direct human health impacts or of intersectoral collaboration on the issue. Our policy analysis indicates a lack of attention, and so preparedness, for the South Australia HAB. Public policy in all countries needs to prepare better for climate-related disasters and act faster to reduce global warming.
"Help young women to survive": the cost-of-living crisis and the well-being of younger Australian women.
McCarthy S, Pitt H, Arnot G … +3 more , Brown V, Gold L, Thomas S
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41553091 · Full text
The increased pressures associated with the cost-of-living crisis (CoLC) have been demonstrated to impact population health. Research has shown that women are particularly vulnerable to negative life and health experienc...
The increased pressures associated with the cost-of-living crisis (CoLC) have been demonstrated to impact population health. Research has shown that women are particularly vulnerable to negative life and health experiences associated with cost-of-living pressures, which are exacerbated by a range of gendered structural inequities. To date, very few studies have qualitatively explored the impact of the CoLC on the lives of women. A qualitative online survey was conducted with n = 570 younger Australian women (18-40 years old). The study explored the health and social impacts of the CoLC on younger women's lives and their suggestions about the range of policy responses that could help women during times of economic crisis. Three themes were constructed from the data using a reflexive approach to thematic analysis. First, participants described the CoLC as a source of stress that shaped their everyday lives, particularly in relation to food insecurity, unaffordable housing, student debt, and insecure or underpaid employment. Second, the CoLC was perceived to have a direct negative impact on participants' health and social outcomes, with participants reporting that they were sacrificing basic needs, avoiding necessary medical and dental care, and experiencing impacts on their mental health. Third, participants called for consideration of equity in policy reform, housing and pricing reform, and expanded healthcare access. The findings highlight the urgent need for gender-responsive economic and social policies in order to reduce health inequities exacerbated by financial crises.
Health inequalities tackled through intersectoral collaboration: longitudinal process issues and insights.
Woodall J, Davies P, Woodward J … +1 more , Coan S
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41533753 · Full text
This study contributes to ongoing reflections and debate on the legacy of the Ottawa Charter by illustrating how contemporary forms of intersectoral collaboration can be mobilized to address persistent health inequalitie...
This study contributes to ongoing reflections and debate on the legacy of the Ottawa Charter by illustrating how contemporary forms of intersectoral collaboration can be mobilized to address persistent health inequalities. Collaborations involving organizations from diverse sectors are often viewed as well-positioned to tackle complex health challenges, yet they frequently encounter political, organizational and cultural barriers that hinder their effectiveness. This paper uses a longitudinal approach to explore issues in relation to the formation and sustainability of a multi-sector collaboration in one geographic area in the UK, working under the banner of the Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC)-a programme which seeks to further understand health determinants and to improve health outcomes in communities. Through qualitative interviews at two time points-12 months apart-with constituents of the collaboration, the data demonstrated a clear and shared vision for the collaboration and a neat 'dovetailing' of skill-sets related to community brokerage; academic rigour; and statutory legitimacy. While the collaboration under focus here was in its infancy, cultural, and practical tensions in ways of working; trust issues; pace of working; and philosophy were predicted to, and indeed did, emerge and required careful monitoring to ensure intended outcomes were not derailed.
The changing context of Health in All Policies in Finland since the 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Finland.
Ollila E, Tervonen L, Koivusalo M
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41528777 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Health-promoting housing policy in a changing climate: integrating affordability, security, and resilience.
McKee M, Howden-Chapman P, Braithwaite I … +1 more , Bentley R
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41528776 · Full text
Housing is a fundamental determinant of health, yet many housing systems fail to promote well-being or address growing challenges such as climate change, inequality, and urbanization. It is increasingly treated as an inv...
Housing is a fundamental determinant of health, yet many housing systems fail to promote well-being or address growing challenges such as climate change, inequality, and urbanization. It is increasingly treated as an investment vehicle and as a commercial product supporting the construction industry, with substantial interactions with climate change, rather than its fundamental role providing shelter. This perspective addresses this gap by proposing an integrated framework for health-promoting housing policy that combines affordability, security, and quality, paying particular attention to their interdependence and the growing influence of climate, adopting a systems-thinking approach. The framework was developed through an iterative literature synthesis and interdisciplinary dialogue, designed to overcome the disciplinary fragmentation of existing evidence. We conducted structured searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, supplemented by grey literature, concentrating on materials published since 2010, reflecting the increasing relevance of climate resilience and equity. Inclusion criteria focused on sources examining housing-health interactions, policy interventions, and systemic challenges; purely technical engineering studies were excluded. Themes were mapped against four policy levers, legal, financial, planning, and community-based measures. The resulting framework offers policymakers a flexible menu of options to strengthen housing systems and advance health equity. By integrating climate resilience and social inclusion into housing policy, this approach provides a foundation for coordinated action across sectors. Aligning housing policy with public health goals is essential for building equitable, sustainable, and resilient communities.
Implementing a school-based mental health literacy programme for adolescents: barriers, facilitators and preliminary outcomes.
Gunasekaran S, Shahwan S, Ong WJ … +7 more , Lim BWZ, Koh HNJ, Tan YB, Koh YS, Teo MS, Lim CCA, Subramaniam M
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41528775 · Full text
A novel school-based mental health literacy (MHL) programme titled 'Do You M.I.N.D.?' was implemented in Singapore to improve knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking among secondary school students. The present study exam...
A novel school-based mental health literacy (MHL) programme titled 'Do You M.I.N.D.?' was implemented in Singapore to improve knowledge, attitudes, and help-seeking among secondary school students. The present study examined its implementation barriers, facilitators, and preliminary impact on students' MHL. A mixed-methods design was used. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 22 key informants and six session observations guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Quantitative data were collected through a 21-item pre- and post-intervention questionnaire with 841 Secondary One students. Pre-post differences were analysed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and difference-in-difference (DiD) analyses, with a significance level set at 0.05. Findings revealed that key facilitators included the relative advantage of the interactive sessions that incorporated Virtual Reality, understanding students' mental health needs and resources, engaging school administrators, and executing with implementation fidelity and fit. However, this relative advantage was lost when the programme shifted to Zoom video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic, which served as a salient barrier alongside implementation complexity, insufficient available resources, and challenges in engaging students and teachers. Pre-post data showed overall improvements in MHL, with face-to-face delivery yielding significantly better scores for two items. The programme shows promise in enhancing students' MHL, with the study providing insights for refining content and implementation strategies. The reduced effectiveness during online delivery underscores the importance of maintaining interactive elements in future adaptations. These results highlight the need for sustained resources, stakeholder engagement and support, and delivery models that preserve programme interactivity to optimize outcomes.
Trust is a verb: how to reimagine confidence in health systems.
Purnat TD, Wilhelm E, Lihemo G … +1 more , Scales D
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41527969 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Promoting self-determined Indigenous data governance in Canada: the Métis Health Research and Data Governance Principles.
Henry R, Gabel C, Tait C … +2 more , Kowalski K, Nychuk A
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41527856 · Full text
Population-level data collection is crucial to advance Indigenous rights and sovereignty but requires localized approaches to develop representative datasets. In Canada, a focus on First Nations research and data governa...
Population-level data collection is crucial to advance Indigenous rights and sovereignty but requires localized approaches to develop representative datasets. In Canada, a focus on First Nations research and data governance and principles has led to the underrepresentation of Métis realities and a reliance on data governance models that fail to address their unique cultural, historical, and community-specific needs. "The Saskatchewan Métis Health Research and Data Governance Principles©" were developed to guide Métis research and promote Métis data sovereignty. While these principles share similarities with the First Nations Principles of OCAP®, they emphasize Métis-specific priorities such as capacity building and active engagement with Métis rights holders. These principles provide a framework for Métis health research, ensuring that Métis values and perspectives are embedded throughout the research lifecycle.
An umbrella review of barriers, facilitators, and interventions for children and youth with disabilities.
Abungin L, Saravanan S, Carbone M … +8 more , Kasper K, Leo J, Millar C, Arbour-Nicitopoulos KP, Ross T, Ross-White A, Tregubov A, Lee EY
Health Promot Int · 2026 Jan · PMID 41499385 · Full text
Children and youth with disabilities have fewer opportunities for structured and unstructured active play than their peers without disabilities. This umbrella review explored how active play is defined and perceived amon...
Children and youth with disabilities have fewer opportunities for structured and unstructured active play than their peers without disabilities. This umbrella review explored how active play is defined and perceived among children and youth with disabilities and their adult facilitators, and identified barriers, facilitators, and interventions influencing active play among children and youth with disabilities. A total of 18 review articles were deemed eligible and synthesized guided by the Social Ecological Model (SEM). Among children and youth with disabilities, active play was defined as fun, spontaneous, and intrinsically motivated, with some seeking intense, meaningful experiences. Reviews also reported that children and youth with disabilities value active play as a means to maintain autonomy and connections but also feel excluded from peers. Adult facilitators appear to recognize the importance of active play and adapted activities to meet individual needs. This review has identified barriers and facilitators within the SEM: (i) individual: psychological factors, body function and structure, (ii) interpersonal: decision-making, social support, and socioeconomic status, (iii) organizational: adapted activity demands, program and staff availability, (iv) community: environment characteristics, activities, attitudes, and resources, and (v) public policy: policy gaps. Instructional and behavioral strategies, assistive technologies, and inclusive playground designs are identified as effective play-based interventions for children and youth with disabilities. Findings highlight the need to incorporate the perceptions and experiences of children and youth with disabilities into how active play is conceptualized and operationalized. Reframing active play in research, policy, and practice can promote equity, social inclusion, and health.
Health practices and neighborhood experiences among young adults living alone under housing poverty in Seoul, South Korea.
Lee J, Yoo S
Health Promot Int · 2025 Oct · PMID 41456945 · Full text
Housing poverty increasingly exposes young adults to insecure and inadequate living conditions that undermine health and well-being. This study examined how young adults living alone under housing poverty in Seoul define...
Housing poverty increasingly exposes young adults to insecure and inadequate living conditions that undermine health and well-being. This study examined how young adults living alone under housing poverty in Seoul define and practice health in daily life, adapt to inadequate housing, and interpret their neighborhood environments in relation to well-being. A qualitative exploratory design was employed, using in-depth interviews with 44 participants aged 19-39 who met policy-based criteria for housing poverty in South Korea. Interviews explored daily routines, understandings of healthy living, the use of home and community spaces, and neighborhood perceptions. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Participants viewed deliberate efforts to manage their health as a way to restore order and maintain control in their lives. Managing meals, sleep, and self-care enabled continuity and resilience, though often at the cost of social interaction. However, these practices could not fully counter constraints of inadequate housing, which disrupted rest, limited privacy, and constrained opportunities to recharge at home. To compensate, participants extended activities such as studying, exercising, or resting into community and commercial spaces, which they regarded more as necessary extensions of daily life than leisure options. Despite these adaptations, neighborhoods were often perceived as temporary and emotionally distant, offering functionality but little sense of belonging. These findings highlight housing poverty as a lived social determinant that restricts autonomy, emotional balance, and social participation. Addressing housing insecurity as a health promotion issue requires place-sensitive approaches that reduce psychological burdens while supporting young adults' everyday health and well-being.
Social media messaging by Canadian health organizations to address indoor tanning during policy and scientific shifts.
Gosselin S, Mortazavi A, Li Y … +6 more , MacKay M, Papadopoulos A, Grant LE, Pancevski A, Burton K, McWhirter JE
Health Promot Int · 2025 Oct · PMID 41451704 · Publisher ↗
Indoor tanning (IT) is a modifiable risk factor for skin cancer, including melanoma. Social media provides a large potential audience for messaging to address IT, and incorporating elements of evidence and theory-based m...
Indoor tanning (IT) is a modifiable risk factor for skin cancer, including melanoma. Social media provides a large potential audience for messaging to address IT, and incorporating elements of evidence and theory-based message design may be an effective way to impact knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours within these audiences. However, few studies have investigated whether these elements are used in practice. This content analysis explored whether Canadian health and cancer organizations incorporate theory- and evidence-supported message design strategies and provides suggestions for how these messages could be strengthened. We identified 36 Facebook pages operated by Canadian government and nonprofit health and cancer organizations and searched these pages using predefined keywords to collect 246 posts. We analysed the text and audiovisuals using a codebook based on the study objectives, evidence from the literature, and constructs from the health belief model. Posts were shared between 2009 and 2020, with the highest frequency between 2011 and 2017, corresponding to several Canadian IT policy developments. Of the posts, 156 (63.4%) mentioned at least one specific consequence of IT; of these, 132 (84.6%) mentioned skin cancer. However, there were few references to other consequences of IT, such as eye and appearance damage. Additionally, only three posts recommended alternative behaviours to IT. Some evidence-based message design features, including narratives (5.3%), myth correction (26%), and normative appeals (30.5%), were less frequent. These results may help message designers leverage the large potential audience on social media to effectively address the excess cancer risk posed by IT.
Syndemic lives of women who smoke and experience homelessness: secondary analysis of US qualitative data.
Frazer K, Vijayaraghavan M
Health Promot Int · 2025 Oct · PMID 41433202 · Full text
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Despite efforts by many countries to reduce the impact of tobacco products and lower smoking rates, smoking prevalence is higher among people experie...
Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. Despite efforts by many countries to reduce the impact of tobacco products and lower smoking rates, smoking prevalence is higher among people experiencing homelessness. The reasons are complex and go beyond individual choices, including limited awareness about quitting, restricted access to services, and previous negative experiences. This study is a secondary data analysis of qualitative interviews with women experiencing homelessness. The original data were collected in 2021 as part of a study aimed at understanding tobacco behaviours, attitudes towards quitting, and factors influencing engagement for a subsequent randomized controlled trial. This secondary qualitative analysis, conducted in 2025, examines how policy and environmental contexts influence smoking behaviours among women experiencing homelessness using a social ecological model (SEM) framework. Data were categorized and mapped using the five specified categories within the SEM: policy and environment, community contexts, organizations and systems, interpersonal connections, and individual power and resource distribution. The participants show remarkable resilience in overcoming early-life and adolescent environmental and contextual hardships. Gaps in health services emphasize the need for aligned policy and service improvements. Using the SEM framework, which emphasizes the policy and environmental contexts, offers a deeper understanding of the context of women's lives. The evidence from this study supports the implementation of gender- and age-appropriate holistic approaches to healthcare and tobacco interventions tailored to this community.
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