Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-zzh7m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T20:32:45.393Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

LifeLab Southampton: a programme to engage adolescents with DOHaD concepts as a tool for increasing health literacy in teenagers –a pilot cluster-randomized control trial

Part of: DOHaD on International Women's Day 2020

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2018

K. Woods-Townsend Open the ORCID record for K. Woods-Townsend [Opens in a new window] ,
H. Leat ,
J. Bay ,
L. Bagust ,
H. Davey ,
D. Lovelock ,
A. Christodoulou ,
J. Griffiths ,
M. Grace  and
K. Godfrey
...Show all authors
K. Woods-Townsend*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton, NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK
H. Leat
Affiliation:
St Anne’s Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Southampton, UK
J. Bay
Affiliation:
Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
L. Bagust
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
H. Davey
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
D. Lovelock
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
A. Christodoulou
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
J. Griffiths
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Mathematics and Science Learning Centre, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
M. Grace
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
K. Godfrey
Affiliation:
NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton, NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
M. Hanson
Affiliation:
NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton, NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Developmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
H. Inskip
Affiliation:
NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton, NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: K. Woods-Townsend, LifeLab, Mailpoint 847, Room LD150, South Lab and Path Block, University Hospital Southampton, SO16 6YD, Southampton, UK. E-mail: k.woods-townsend@soton.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical time point in the lifecourse. LifeLab is an educational intervention engaging adolescents in understanding Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concepts and the impact of the early life environment on future health, benefitting both their long-term health and that of the next generation. We aimed to assess whether engaging adolescents with DOHaD concepts improves scientific literacy and whether engagement alone improves health behaviours.

Six schools were randomized, three to intervention and three to control. Outcome measures were changed in knowledge, and intended and actual behaviour in relation to diet and lifestyle. A total of 333 students completed baseline and follow-up questionnaires. At 12 months, intervention students showed greater understanding of DOHaD concepts. No sustained changes in behaviours were identified.

Adolescents’ engagement with DOHaD concepts can be improved and maintained over 12 months. Such engagement does not itself translate into behaviour change. The intervention has consequently been revised to include additional components beyond engagement alone.

Keywords

behaviour changehealth educationhealth literacyrandomized control trialscientific literacy
Type
Brief Report
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 9 , Issue 5 , October 2018 , pp. 475 - 480
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. GBD 2015 Mortality and Causes of Death Collaborators. Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet. 2016; 388, 1459–1544.Google Scholar
2. Scarborough, P, Bhatnagar, P, Wickramasinghe, KK, et al. The economic burden of ill health due to diet, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol and obesity in the UK: an update to 2006-07 NHS costs. J Public Health (Oxf). 2011; 33, 527–535.Google Scholar
3. Murray, CJ, Lopez, AD. Measuring the global burden of disease. N Engl J Med. 2013; 369, 448–457.Google Scholar
4. Barker, DJP. Mothers, Babies and Health in Later Life. 1998. Churchill Livingstone: Edinburgh.Google Scholar
5. Eriksson, JG, Forsen, T, Tuomilehto, J, et al. Early growth and coronary heart disease in later life: longitudinal study. BMJ. 2001; 322, 949–953.Google Scholar
6. Godfrey, KM, Gluckman, PD, Hanson, MA. Developmental origins of metabolic disease: life course and intergenerational perspectives. Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2010; 21, 199–205.Google Scholar
7. Gluckman, PD, Hanson, MA, Bateson, P, et al. Towards a new developmental synthesis: adaptive developmental plasticity and human disease. Lancet. 2009; 373, 1654–1657.Google Scholar
8. Barker, M, Lawrence, WT, Skinner, TC, et al. Constraints on food choices of women in the UK with lower educational attainment. Public Health Nutr. 2008; 11, 1229–1237.Google Scholar
9. Schagdarsurengin, U, Steger, K. Epigenetics in male reproduction: effect of paternal diet on sperm quality and offspring health. Nat Rev Urol. 2016; 13, 584–595.Google Scholar
10. Sawyer, SM, Afifi, RA, Bearinger, LH, et al. Adolescence: a foundation for future health. Lancet. 2012; 379, 1630–1640.Google Scholar
11. Baird, J, Cooper, C, Margetts, BM, et al. Changing health behaviour of young women from disadvantaged backgrounds: evidence from systematic reviews. Proc Nutr Soc. 2009; 68, 195–204.Google Scholar
12. Borzekowski, DL. Considering children and health literacy: a theoretical approach. Pediatrics. 2009; 124( Suppl. 3), S282–S288.Google Scholar
13. Nutbeam, D. Getting evidence into policy and practice to address health inequalities. Health Promot Int. 2004; 19, 137–140.Google Scholar
14. Tang, KC, Nutbeam, D, Aldinger, C, et al. Schools for health, education and development: a call for action. Health Promot Int. 2009; 24, 68–77.Google Scholar
15. Bay, JL, Mora, HA, Sloboda, DM, et al. Adolescent understanding of DOHaD concepts: a school-based intervention to support knowledge translation and behaviour change. J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2012; 3, 469–482.Google Scholar
16. Bennett, J, Lubben, F, Hogarth, S. Bringing science to life: a synthesis of the research evidence on the effects of context-based and STS approaches to science teaching. Sci Educ. 2007; 91, 347–370.Google Scholar
17. Grace, M, Woods-Townsend, K, Griffiths, J, et al. A science-based approach to developing teenagers’ views on their health and the health of their future children. Health Educ. 2012; 112, 543–559.Google Scholar
18. Barros, AJ, Hirakata, VN. Alternatives for logistic regression in cross-sectional studies: an empirical comparison of models that directly estimate the prevalence ratio. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2003; 3, 21.Google Scholar
19. Department for Communities and Local Government (DfCLG). English indices of deprivation 2015. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2015.Google Scholar
20. Crozier, SR, Inskip, HM, Barker, ME, et al. Development of a 20-item food frequency questionnaire to assess a ‘prudent’ dietary pattern among young women in Southampton. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010; 64, 99–104.Google Scholar
21. Lawrence, W, Black, C, Tinati, T, et al. ‘Making every contact count’: evaluation of the impact of an intervention to train health and social care practitioners in skills to support health behaviour change. J Health Psychol. 2016; 21, 138–151.Google Scholar
22. Woods-Townsend, K, Bagust, L, Barker, M, et al. Engaging teenagers in improving their health behaviours and increasing their interest in science (Evaluation of LifeLab Southampton): study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2015; 16, 372.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: Image

Woods-Townsend et al. supplementary material

Figure S1

Download Woods-Townsend et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 110.3 KB