Files and links (1)
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
HealthLit4Kids: Improving health literacy outcomes in an Australian setting
Public Health, Vol.249, pp.1-7
2025
Abstract
Objectives
Affordable, scalable and sustainable programs for improving health literacy teaching and learning are essential for improving health outcomes. Primary schools provide an ideal environment for this kind of endeavour. This study summarises and evaluates the school-based program HealthLit4Kids (HL4K) in Tasmania, Australia, as one such approach, and suggests directions for wider applications.
Study design
The paper integrates and summarises HL4K program outcomes to date.
Methods
Program outcomes of current HL4K uptake are evaluated in terms of the experiences, successes, and barriers reported by the teachers, students, parents, and school leaders involved.
Results
The adoption of HL4K by five schools gained overall positive responses from all stakeholders, through varied methods. Teachers reported improved knowledge of health literacy, an outcome endorsed by school leaders. Students responded with strong engagement and enhanced critical thinking, and parents’ health literacy also increased. Improved communication between schools and parents could further enhance these positive findings. Increased opportunities for teacher professional development, as well as policy-level changes in reporting health education outcomes, are recommended.
Conclusions
As a co-designed, whole-of-school program, HL4K can improve health literacy teaching and learning for students, and for the communities where those students live and learn. HL4K has recently been expanded in scalable ways. Moving forward, HL4K will be hosted as an online training package for school-based facilitators, and a new social enterprise, HealthLit4Everyone, seeks to develop more services. This innovation will be delivered by local facilitators, with the potential to improve health literacy for more people, across more settings.
Details
- Title
- HealthLit4Kids: Improving health literacy outcomes in an Australian setting
- Authors
- V Cruickshank (Corresponding Author) - University of TasmaniaShandell Elmer - University of TasmaniaC Evans - University of TasmaniaNenagh Kemp - University of TasmaniaLouisa Peralta - The University of SydneyJoseph J Scott - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Education and Tertiary AccessDonald Reid - University of TasmaniaJordan De Hoog - University of TasmaniaNnamdi Eseme - University of TasmaniaCarolyn Wolsey - University of TasmaniaJohn Williams (Author) - University of CanberraRosie Nash - University of Tasmania
- Publication details
- Public Health, Vol.249, pp.1-7
- Publisher
- Elsevier Ltd
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.puhe.2025.106031
- ISSN
- 1476-5616; 0033-3506
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Royal Society for Public Health. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Grant note
- This research was funded by the Tasmanian Community Fund, grant number N25594, 35Medium00067 and the University of Tasmania by three grants (the Impact Innovation Fund, the Creativity, Culture and Society grant and the College of Arts, Law and Education Hothouse Grant).
- Organisation Unit
- Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Education and Tertiary Access; Cancer Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991180445902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
3 Record Views