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Purpose: This paper aims to describe the development, promotion and evaluation of sustainability learning experience database (SLED), a university-curated database of sustainability experiences to augment formal student learning. Its purpose was to encourage students to participate in experiential learning, to facilitate students' critical appraisal of programs ostensibly designed to create sustainability and to, thus, develop students' sustainability self-efficacy and employability. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 55 sustainability experiences were curated and placed into the SLED database, which was promoted to students in nine subjects. Supporting materials designed to assist critical evaluation, reflection on experiences and to build student employability were also developed. A comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation of the program was conducted. Findings: The quantitative evaluation revealed some changes in environmental behaviors, depth of critical sustainability thinking and graduate attributes. The qualitative evaluation revealed that students see the value of a university-curated database of experiences and provided ideas for improvements to the database. It also revealed examples of higher-order learning facilitated by SLED. Research limitations/implications: Recruitment and attrition of research subjects, common challenges in pedagogical research, were experienced. "Opt-out" is one response to this but it comes with ethical challenges. Originality/value: This exploratory study demonstrates the potential of SLED to build students' sustainability efficacy and suggests ways in which it and similar programs can be developed for improved student and sustainability outcomes. Namely, the use of an online platform closely associated with existing learning management systems, higher-level institutional stewardship, closer curriculum integration and close partnering with credentialing programs.

Evidence is a central concept in epistemology, and good evidence is essential for developing effective community development programs. There is a range of theoretical approaches for helping to understand and ensure program effectiveness, but none uses evidence as a central pivot, and they may be difficult for the managers of community development programs to apply. An evidence-focussed theoretical framework and tool could help build the evidence literacy of communities and their advocates, assist community groups and members that struggle to gain representation, and help ensure that community development programs are inclusive, efficient, and effectively improve health and wellbeing outcomes. This paper presents an eight-step evidence cycle conceptual framework for helping communities ensure evidence is foundational to all stages of their programs. The steps are recognize , gather , appraise, integrate , use , create, manage , and share evidence. Each step is described, and example approaches applicable to both descriptive and intervention evidence are provided. A tool (specifically, a rubric) for program managers to self-assess their work against the cycle, informed by UK-based development network, Bond's five principles for evidence use in community development (voice/inclusion, appropriateness, triangulation, contribution, and transparency), is also provided. The approach, which is applicable to all stages of a program, has the potential to not only increase managers' and participants' evidence literacy, but to also facilitate attention to evidence throughout the life of a program and beyond, leading to better results for community development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Victorian local governments (LGs) are required to develop evidence-based Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans (MPHWPs) that improve health and wellbeing. This study evaluated the implementation of this requirement across 79 LGs. Evidence in 116 documents was categorised by source, issue, and policy specificity. Over 11,000 evidence-occurrences from 200 sources were recorded. More evidence on social determinants was identified than on epidemiology or health behaviours. Most (96%) evidence was descriptive and only 4% supported MPHWP actions. The results suggest the community is an important source of novel interventions, and proposes three related reasons for the dearth of intervention level evidence.

BACKGROUND: Both public health, and the health of the natural environment, are affected by policy decisions made across portfolios as diverse as finance, planning, transport, housing, education, and agriculture. A response to the interdependent character of public health has been the 'health in all policies' (HiAP) approach. OBJECTIVES: With reference to parallels between health and environment, this paper argues that lessons from HiAP are useful for creating a new integrated environmental management approach termed 'environment in all polices' (EiAP). DISCUSSION: This paper covers the theoretical foundations of HiAP, which is based on an understanding that health is strongly socially determined. The paper then highlights how lessons learned from HiAP's implementation in Finland, California, and South Australia might be applied to EiAP. It is too early to learn from evaluations of HiAP, but it is apparent that there is no single tool kit for its application. The properties that are likely to be necessary for an effective EiAP approach include a jurisdiction-specific approach, ongoing and strong leadership from a central agency, independent analysis, and a champion. We then apply these properties to Victoria (Australia) to demonstrate how EiAP might work. CONCLUSIONS: We encourage further exploration of the feasibility of EiAP as an approach that could make explicit the sometimes surprising environmental implications of a whole range of strategic policies. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1289/EHP294, Introduction Some of the most important 'environmental' legislation does not lie within the administration of the Minister for Environment and Climate Change. It is in the hands of the central [...]

Objective Improving health literacy at an early age is crucial to personal health and development. Although health literacy in children and adolescents has gained momentum in the past decade, it remains an under-researched area, particularly health literacy measurement. This study aimed to examine the quality of health literacy instruments used in children and adolescents and to identify the best instrument for field use. Design Systematic review. Setting A wide range of settings including schools, clinics and communities. Participants Children and/or adolescents aged 6-24 years. Primary and secondary outcome measures Measurement properties (reliability, validity and responsiveness) and other important characteristics (eg, health topics, components or scoring systems) of health literacy instruments. Results There were 29 health literacy instruments identified from the screening process. When measuring health literacy in children and adolescents, researchers mainly focus on the functional domain (basic skills in reading and writing) and consider participant characteristics of developmental change (of cognitive ability), dependency (on parents) and demographic patterns (eg, racial/ethnic backgrounds), less on differential epidemiology (of health and illness). The methodological quality of included studies as assessed via measurement properties varied from poor to excellent. More than half (62.9%) of measurement properties were unknown, due to either poor methodological quality of included studies or a lack of reporting or assessment. The 8-item Health Literacy Assessment Tool (HLAT-8) showed best evidence on construct validity, and the Health Literacy Measure for Adolescents showed best evidence on reliability. Conclusions More rigorous and high-quality studies are needed to fill the knowledge gap in measurement properties of health literacy instruments. Although it is challenging to draw a robust conclusion about which instrument is the most reliable and the most valid, this review provides important evidence that supports the use of the HLAT-8 to measure childhood and adolescent health literacy in future school-based research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]