School child health communication activity needs in Seoul : Focused on school-based health fairs

서울지역 초등학생들의 보건의사소통 요구도 특성 : 학교 건강관련 행사를 중심으로

The purpose of this study was to describe elementary school students' health communication needs based on school-based health fairs by students' demographic characteristics and school health education experiences. A self-administered survey was conducted to a total of 851 fifth-grade students in 8 elementary schools in Seoul. For survey participant sampling, Seoul area was divided into four districts: north, south, east, and west, and two elementary schools were selected from each district by the stratified convenient sampling process. Three class 5th-grade students in each selected school finished the survey. Questionnaires and survey instruction letters were delivered to vice-principals in the designated schools and the vice-principals managed the survey process. The survey Questionnaire included demographic characteristics (sex, parent's marital status, parents' educational status, famil financial status, the person whom was with after school, and daily computer hour), health education experiences (health education at school, and school health education satisfaction), and health communication types. The health communication types were reorganized into eight types based on comprehensive literature review on health fairs (or child and adolescence. The health communication types were 'health exam and advice fair,''health promotion advertising and campaign,' 'health-related exhibition and experience fair,' 'profession visit-in-school education,' 'health-related VCR or movie festival,' 'health-related institute visits,' 'internet health counseling,' and 'telephone health counseling.' Regarding demographic characteristics, sex, family financial status, and academic performance were significant factors related to health communication need scores (p <.05). Girl, high level of family financial status, and excellent academic performance score were related to high score of health communication need. In terms of school health education experience, taking regular class for health education and satisfaction with school health education were linked to higher health communication need scores. This result discusses that experience and satisfaction with school health education largely contribute to building participants' health communication concepts and needs.