Health education provided by nurses to children and young people: parents’ assessment

BACKGROUND: Healthy literacy is a determinant key children/teenager’s health and health outcomes. The aim of this study to identify the parents’ assessment about Health Education practice to children and teenagers. METHODS: We opted for a descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional research, with a non-probabilistic convenience sample. The inclusion criteria were: being a parent who uses attending children health appointments in primary health care; being a parent who has a child hospitalized and is accompanying him/her in the pediatric hospital inpatient ward. A questionnaire survey was built with three sections: sample characterization, Health Education practices performed by nurses (5 questions) and a scale that measured Health Education Assessment Scale (HEAS), which contained 48 items and was validated. It was applied from September to December 2018. RESULTS: The survey was filled in by 113 parents. The results showed that 100% (n = 113) of the parents feel comfortable to talk with nurses about children/teenagers health; 79.6% (n = 90) consider that nurses have time availability for the doubts clarification; 61.9% (n = 70) point out that nurses identify child/teenager needs; Healthy eating” (60.2%; n = 68), the “National Vaccination Plan” (53.1%; n = 60) and “Harmful behaviors prevention” (46.9%; n = 53) are the most important topics; 56.6% (n = 64) of the parents, when in doubt, turn first to the pediatrician, and 66.4% (n = 75) considered that this practice was equal important, compared with other nursing interventions. DISCUSSION: This study shows that Health Education provided by nurses is based on the need’s identification, with a perspective of involvement and participation, promoting health and conscious changes which reinforces the nurses’ position as health educators.