Sammendrag
Background: Health-related knowledge and behaviours developed during c hild-
hood are increasingly being recognized as foundational, deeply rooted and resistant
to change as children mature into adulthood. The aim of this study was to engage
stakeholders in prioritizing key concepts that children need to understand when
assessing claims about treatment effects.
Methods: A list of 30 concepts developed prior was categorized into six groups
considered important for children to understand in order to assess claims about the
effects of “treatments” (any type of healthcare intervention). A teachers’ network
was established comprising of primary school teachers, who attended a three-day
meeting where the concepts were presented, discussed and prioritized using a pre-
set criteria thus: (i) relevance of concepts for children, (ii) ease of comprehension of
concepts for children, (iii) potential for developing resources to teach the children
and (iv) whether the resources once developed would have an impact on children’s
ability to assess claims. Using a modified Delphi technique, participants ranked
each group of concepts using the four criteria on a Likert scale of one to six
(1 = lowest, 6 = highest). The rankings were analysed using STATA statistical
software.
Results: Twenty-two of the 24 participants reported having understood the concepts
well; with self-assessments of their own understanding above 75 on a scale of (1 to
100). All six groups of concepts were considered relevant.
Conclusion: It is important to teach children how to assess claims about benefits and
harms of treatments. Resources will be developed to teach children these concepts.
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