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BackgroundInCharge is a newly developed school-based health intervention aimed at older adolescents. It aims to promote a healthier lifestyle by increasing self-regulation skills. After the InCharge program’s effectiveness was previously investigated in a pilot study, the content of the program was adapted. ObjectiveThis study describes the protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial that aims to investigate the effectiveness of the InCharge program. MethodsA cluster randomized controlled trial including 70 classes with older adolescents (aged 16 years or older) in the Netherlands will be conducted to test the effectiveness of the InCharge program. After schools are recruited, randomization occurs at the class level. The trial consists of the following two conditions: an experimental condition and a control condition. Participants in the experimental condition will be given the InCharge intervention, consisting of four lessons of 50 minutes, with each lesson containing three assignments of approximately 15 minutes. While participants in the experimental condition will receive InCharge, participants in the control condition will receive regular academic school courses. Surveys are administered 1 week before the intervention (baseline), 1 week after the intervention (posttest), and 12 weeks after the intervention (follow-up). Variables of interest include, but are not limited to, self-regulation; predictors of snack intake, physical activity, and alcohol use; and interpersonal communication regarding these health behaviors. In addition to surveys, observations will be conducted during the first and fourth lessons, teachers will be interviewed, and focus groups will be held with a selection of students from the intervention condition. ResultsEnrollment started in September 2017. As of June 2019, a total of 1216 participants were enrolled for this trial. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences. The trial has been approved by the Ethics Review Board of the Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences of the University of Amsterdam (reference no.: 2017-PC-8244). ConclusionsIn this study protocol, the design of a cluster randomized controlled trial is described, which assesses how effectively the school-based intervention InCharge stimulates healthier lifestyles in late adolescents. We hypothesize that participants in the experimental condition will consume less alcohol, eat fewer unhealthy snacks, and be more physically active compared with participants in the control condition. Trial RegistrationNetherlands Trial Register (NL6654); https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/6654 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR1-10.2196/17702

BackgroundRecent years have witnessed a dramatic increase in consumer online health information seeking. The quality of online health information, however, remains questionable. The issue of information evaluation has become a hot topic, leading to the development of guidelines and checklists to design high-quality online health information. However, little attention has been devoted to how consumers, in particular people with low health literacy, evaluate online health information. ObjectiveThe main aim of this study was to review existing evidence on the association between low health literacy and (1) people’s ability to evaluate online health information, (2) perceived quality of online health information, (3) trust in online health information, and (4) use of evaluation criteria for online health information. MethodsFive academic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Communication and Mass-media Complete) were systematically searched. We included peer-reviewed publications investigating differences in the evaluation of online information between people with different health literacy levels. ResultsAfter abstract and full-text screening, 38 articles were included in the review. Only four studies investigated the specific role of low health literacy in the evaluation of online health information. The other studies examined the association between educational level or other skills-based proxies for health literacy, such as general literacy, and outcomes. Results indicate that low health literacy (and related skills) are negatively related to the ability to evaluate online health information and trust in online health information. Evidence on the association with perceived quality of online health information and use of evaluation criteria is inconclusive. ConclusionsThe findings indicate that low health literacy (and related skills) play a role in the evaluation of online health information. This topic is therefore worth more scholarly attention. Based on the results of this review, future research in this field should (1) specifically focus on health literacy, (2) devote more attention to the identification of the different criteria people use to evaluate online health information, (3) develop shared definitions and measures for the most commonly used outcomes in the field of evaluation of online health information, and (4) assess the relationship between the different evaluative dimensions and the role played by health literacy in shaping their interplay.

Objective: Despite a nationwide ban on tobacco sales to people under 18 years of age, adolescents can still buy tobacco products in Amsterdam. This study aimed to understand the influence of the retail environment in adolescents' activity spaces on their tobacco-purchasing behaviour. Method: Interviews were conducted with 13 adolescents (aged 14-19 years) who went to school in Amsterdam and had ever bought tobacco products. Questions were based on the capability, opportunity, motivation, behaviour (COM-B) model. City maps showing all tobacco outlets were used to visualise respondents' activity spaces and purchasing areas. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: Adolescents preferred purchasing tobacco at shops where they had successfully purchased it before, instead of going to just any shop close by. They purchased tobacco products mostly in small shops. Supermarkets were avoided, as employees complied with age-verification procedures. The city centre provided easy access because the density of small shops was high. In adolescents' residential area, acquaintances behind the counter might facilitate tobacco purchase, while it was a barrier for minors who secretly smoked. At school, adolescents developed a collective knowledge of shops that sold tobacco products to minors either near school or further away. Tobacco was also bought on the black market because it was cheaper or because it was possible to buy specific products (e.g. snus). Conclusion: Tobacco purchasing by minors is less about the proximity and more about which stores in their activity spaces sell tobacco products to minors. Policies should therefore be aimed at the enforcement of age limits and reducing the number of small shops selling tobacco.

During major long-term crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, news media are crucial sources of information for the public. This study aimed to explore the frequency of COVID-19-related news consumption based on (1) phase of the pandemic, (2) socio-demographic characteristics, and (3) news information channels. The study used a dynamic cohort design with 18 rounds of data collection, including 306,692 responses from 83,180 unique respondents in the Netherlands from 17 April 2020 to 11 September 2022. Results showed that the frequency of general COVID-19-related news media consumption varied throughout the pandemic, following a general decreasing trend with relative spikes often coinciding with periods of stricter behavioural regulations. TV news, newspapers, and online news websites were the most popular news information channels among the respondents. Furthermore, multilevel regression analyses identified several socio-demographic factors influencing news consumption and preferred channels, namely age, migration background, living status, health status, and trust in government — these results remained stable throughout the pandemic. This study highlights the importance of selecting appropriate news channels to effectively reach different socio-demographic groups and shows that during a prolonged crisis, news consumption about the crisis fluctuates with worsening conditions but generally follows a decreasing trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Physical distancing is an effective preventative measure during respiratory infectious disease outbreaks. Prior studies on distancing behaviors have largely ignored context characteristics (physical, social) and time. Purpose We investigated patterns in physical distancing over time and across situations, as well as sociodemographic variation herein. Methods We employed data from five rounds of a cohort study conducted throughout the pandemic by the Dutch public health institute (RIVM; N ≈ 50.000 per round). We conducted Latent Class Analyses to investigate patterns of physical distancing in a range of situations, followed by regression models to investigate associations between distancing behavior and sociodemographic and context characteristics. Results Participants differed in their general tendency to adhere to distancing guidelines across situations, but there were also substantial differences in distancing behavior between situations, particularly at work, with friends and family and outdoors. Distancing at work was strongly associated with work environment characteristics. Younger age groups reported less distancing behavior, particularly with close relations (friends or family) and at work. In periods when the pandemic situation was most severe, people adhered more strongly to distancing guidelines and age differences were most pronounced during these periods. Conclusions Physical and social context matters for physical distancing, highlighting the importance of developing strategies for pandemic preparedness that improve opportunities for physical distancing (e.g. reducing crowding, one-way traffic) and accommodate young people to safely meet even in times of high pandemic severity and lockdowns. Future studies should account for the physical and social context in which distancing behavior is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine age and educational inequalities in smoking cessation due to the implementation of a tobacco tax increase, smoke-free legislation and a cessation campaign. Longitudinal data from 962 smokers aged 15 years and older were used from three survey waves of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Netherlands Survey. The 2008 survey was performed before the implementation of the interventions and the 2009 and 2010 surveys were performed after the implementation. No significant age and educational differences in successful smoking cessation were found after the implementation of the three tobacco control interventions, although smokers aged 15-39 years were more likely to attempt to quit. Of the three population-level tobacco control interventions that were implemented simultaneously in the Netherlands, only the smoke-free legislation seemed to have increased quit attempts. The price increase of cigarettes may have been only effective in stimulating smoking cessation among younger smokers. Larger tax increases, stronger smoke-free legislation and media campaigns about the dangers of (second-hand) smoking are needed in the Netherlands.