Developing a children's health risk behaviour prevention program targeting grade 4-7 learners in the western cape, South Africa: a study protocol

The prevalence of health risk behavior engagement among grade 4 to 7 learners in primary schools: A phase one needs analysis

Health risk behaviour, as it pertains to adolescent behaviour, poses a massive challenge for many fields of medicine, not only due to developmental and psychological concerns but also its inevitable contribution to the burden of disease through trauma and non-communicable diseases resulting from risky behavioural choices. The objective study is to explore the prevalence of health risk behavior engagement among grade 4-7 learners at four primary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa, as well as establish a need for a prevention program starting at primary school level. An observational, descriptive, quantitative design was used to conduct this study. Non-probability, heterogenous, purposive sampling was used to select the study population. A needs analysis assessment using a modified self-administered Child Health Risk Behaviour survey was conducted using 7-inch electronic tablets. Four primary schools agreed to participate yielding a total sample size of n=1147 learners in grades 4 to 7. Learners' age ranged from nine years old to fourteen years old with a mean age of 11.45 (SD 1.271). Riding a bicycle without a helmet, physical fight (86.1 and 64.1% among boys and girls respectively), ever smoked a cigarette (boys 36.3%; girls 28.3%) and consuming alcohol without permission (boys 28.7%; girls 23.8%) had the most engagement. Sexual curiosity questions had by far the most positive engagement and consistency of engagement among both boys and girls. This evidence reaffirms the need that early, bespoke and scientific intervention/prevention programs are needed to combat health risk behaviour and subsequently reduce the burden of disease.

A Systematic Review Protocol for the Effectiveness of Psycho-Educational Intervention Programmes in Addressing the Psychological Risk Factors Associated with Non-Communicable Diseases among Adolescents

The psychological health concerns and risk factors associated with non-communicable disease among adolescents have been prioritized on the agenda of international health institutions globally. The aims of this systematic review are to determine the various types of psycho-educational intervention programmes developed to address the psychological risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases among adolescents, and to assess the effectiveness of the psycho-educational intervention programmes. The systematic review will include case-control and randomized controlled studies. The review will be conducted using the following electronic databases, PubMed, CINAHL, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, and ERIC, as well as the grey literature for the thesis repository from 2012 to 2022. The key search terms will include intervention programme, adolescents (aged 10-19 years), psychological risk factors and non-communicable diseases. The studies identified by the search strategy will be downloaded into Mendeley and exported to Covidence software for screening, quality assessment and data extraction. The quality assessment tool that will be utilized is the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklists to ensure relevance and quality of the articles. This systematic review will use two types of data analysis: narrative synthesis of qualitative studies and meta-analysis of quantitative studies. The findings from this systematic review will provide evidence-based tools for the management of psychological risk factors associated with non-communicable diseases, as well as present key insights for future intervention programmes on the management of psychological risk factors associated with NCDs among adolescents.