Health literacy as a set of competencies to promote and sustain health has received significant research attention, particularly in studies on adults. Improving health literacy at an early age is crucial to personal health and development, so there is a need to investigate the health literacy of school-aged children. The aims of this study were to determine the level of subjective health literacy among adolescents in Lithuania and to examine the association between health literacy, school achievement, health education in schools, and family affluence. Health literacy was assessed using a brief Health Literacy for School-Aged Children instrument on a representative sample of 2369 subjects (from the 7th to 10th grades). Overall, 12.1% of all respondents had low, 70.5% moderate, and 17.4% a high level of health literacy. School achievements were found to be a significant predictor of health literacy, as were the number of school-based health promotion events. Family affluence also predicted an increased level of health literacy. This study was the first nationally representative examination of this topic in Lithuania and it highlighted the alarming finding that less than one-fifth of adolescents had high health literacy.

Research evidence suggests that athletes’ attitudes towards banned substances are among the strongest predictors of intention to use or actual practice of doping. Previous research has found that personal morality was negatively related to doping attitudes. However, less is known about the role of athletes’ perceptions of fair play on their attitudes towards doping. First, we examined whether moral identity was associated with athletes’ attitudes towards doping and whether their perceptions of fair play mediated this relationship. The second purpose was to determine whether these associations differed among non-athletes. Overall, 365 university students (49.9% males, 55.3% athletes) participated in this study (mean age 22.02, SD = 6.58). They completed questionnaires measuring the aforementioned variables. The results showed that athletes’ moral identity and endorsement of fair play were negatively associated with their attitudes towards doping. The mediation analyses showed that the effect of moral identity on attitudes towards doping was partially mediated by perceptions of fair play (indirect effect, β = −0.10, p < 0.05). Unlike student athletes, non-athletes’ moral identity negatively predicted attitudes towards doping only indirectly, via fair play perception (indirect effect, β = −0.08, p < 0.05). The study provides insights into how a person’s morality and perception of moral values in sport may act as factors related to doping in sport. The practical implications for the promotion of anti-doping attitudes for athletes and separately for student non-athletes were provided together with future research perspectives.

Background: Across countries, young people are not sufficiently physically active. The evidence confirms that beyond demographic and individual agents, individuals participate within their social and physical environment. The ecological model enables a search for the modifiable factors in specific populations, as it allows consideration of factors affecting individuals’ lives on different levels, as well as considering the interplay of those factors. The aim of this study was to examine the complex interconnections among environmental, social capital and motivational factors at different levels, within an ecological model for high school students’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during their leisure time. Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study included 1285 students from 14 to 18 years old, with a mean age of 16.14 ± 1.22. Physical activity, neighborhood physical activity recourses, neighborhood safety, social capital, physical activity motivation and sociodemographic factors were evaluated. Logistic regression, mediation and moderation analyses were performed predicting moderate-to-vigorous physical activity during leisure time. Results: In the final multivariate logistic regression model, greater social participation (OR 1.03 [1.01–1.05]), higher relative autonomy index (OR 1.11 [1.06–1.15]) and male gender (OR 1.71 [1.13–2.57]) directly predicted meeting MVPA recommendations. Any significant moderation effects (p > 0.05) of environmental characteristics were not found for the relationship between social capital, motivational factors and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The evidence of positive indirect mediation effects was found in all five models for social capital components as all CIs for its βs do not contain 0, though standardized effect sizes were between 0.02 and 0.07, indicating small effect sizes. Conclusion: These findings provide support for the presence of some direct and indirect pathways from social capital to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Future intervention strategies should focus on strengthening physical activity motivation by encouraging the development of social network and social participation as well as family, neighborhood and school social capital within the framework of the ecological model.

Background: Promotion of health literacy is an important goal in the context of promoting whole school health. Physical education teachers are of particular importance in achieving this goal. However, very limited empirical studies have addressed the health literacy of physical education teachers. This research aimed to test the structural validity and reliability of the HLS₁₉-Q12, to measure health literacy among physical education teachers, and to evaluate associations of health literacy with health- and lifestyle-related indicators. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of Lithuanian physical education teachers. The participants completed a self-administered online survey that collected information on socio-demographics and health literacy (HLS₁₉-Q12 for general health literacy and the optional package HLS₁₉-DIGI to measure digital health literacy) as well as health behavior. Results: A total of 332 participants completed the survey. The HLS₁₉-Q12 demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α of 0.73 and McDonald’s ω of 0.75) and satisfactory structural validity (CFI = 0.924, TLI = 0.917, RMSEA = 0.081). Participants had an average score of 85.09 (SD = 17.23) when using the HLS₁₉-Q12, with 19.3% and 48.8% displaying excellent and sufficient levels of health literacy, respectively. Regression analyses revealed that a higher level of health literacy was significantly associated with better health evaluation (β = 0.15, p < 0.01), but no significant association was found with other health behavior and lifestyle indicators. Conclusions: Overall, the results suggest that teachers’ general health literacy is relatively high. Our findings highlight the importance of conducting more in-depth studies to pursue the understanding of the whole school teachers’ health literacy.

Background. The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Lithuanian adaptation of the TEIQue-SF. Methods. The analyses were performed using a sample of 199 preschool teachers (100% women; mean age = 46.70, SD = 11.70 years, age range = 21–69 years) from across Lithuania. The Teacher Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire was also administered as an external validation measure. The reliability of the TEIQue-SF was assessed by Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω. Finally, we examined the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and global trait emotional intelligence. Results. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Lithuanian TEIQue-SF supported the one-factor structure of trait emotional intelligence (CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.98, IFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.04, SRMR = 0.02). Good internal consistency was observed for global trait emotional intelligence (α = 0.85, ω = 0.84). Global trait emotional intelligence was significantly and positively associated with the teacher general well-being (β = 0.28), school connectedness (β = 0.26), and teaching efficacy (β = 0.28). Age was the only sociodemographic indicator positively related to global trait EI (β = 0.26). Conclusions. Our research showed that the Lithuanian version of the TEIQue-SF is a valid and reliable instrument to measure trait emotional intelligence and can be recommended for research and practical use.

Background. Grigaliūnienė, Vėlavičienė, Šulga, and Keblys (2007) have revealed that meaningful relationships with teachers are influenced by positive attitudes towards them with a good emotional atmosphere in the classroom and a positive microclimate between pupils and teachers. Many scientists point out that education in sports activities positively impacts the development of adolescents’ communication and collaboration with peers and adults, adequate self-evaluation and other positive personality characteristics (Kremer-Sadlik & Kim, 2007; Ream & Rumberger, 2008). Research aim was to determine the evaluation of educational school environment and academic self-evaluation of 11–15-year-old adolescent athletes and non-athletes.Methods. The research was conducted in 2015. We questioned 209 adolescents, aged 11–15 years. In order to determine adolescents’ attitudes towards school educational environment, the survey included the following scales: “Teachers’ help for pupils”; “Support of classmates”; “Positive relationship between adolescents and school”; “Attitude towards socioeducational school environment”; “Loneliness at school”, and “Academic self-evaluation”. Results. The survey revealed that boys’ attitudes to socioeducational school environment resulted to be better than that of girls (p < .05) and that younger adolescents felt more help from the teachers at school than older adolescents (p < .05), but they also pointed out that they experienced a stronger sense of loneliness at school (p < .05). More positive relationship was revealed between adolescent athletes and school (p < .05), but adolescent non-athletes had a better attitude to socioeducational school environment.Conclusion. It was found that although adolescent non-athletes had a better approach to socioeducational school environment, their peer reported having a better link with school.Keywords: attitude, adolescent athletes, adolescent non-athletes, feeling at school, sports activity.