Participation of adolescents in disseminating healthy lifestyles to their guardians

José E. Chávez-Juárez, Carrera de Enfermería, Universidad del Valle de México, Campus Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, México
M. Fernanda Toriz-Colin, Carrera de Psicología, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Ciudad de México, México
Belinda de la Peña-León, Carrera de Enfermería, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Ciudad de México, México
Betsy Flores-Atilano, Carrera de Enfermería, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
Carlos Martínez-López, Carrera de Enfermería, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Zaragoza, Ciudad de México, México
Eduardo Velázquez-Moreno, Carrera de Enfermería, Universidad ICEL, Campus Ermita, Ciudad de México, México

Introduction: Chronic non-communicable diseases are linked to sedentary lifestyles and account for 71% of global mortality. Objective: To evaluate the scope of a structured participatory educational intervention (utilizing a quantitative pre-experimental design) on the level of adolescent participation and the subsequent diffusion of healthy lifestyles to their guardians. Method: A quantitative study with a pre-experimental intervention design conducted through a single 150-minute session grounded in Orem’s self-care deficit theory, involving 222 dyads (adolescent-guardian) from a public high school in the State of Mexico. Results: Eighty- nine percent (89%) of the adolescents demonstrated a lifestyle categorized as “adequate with suggestions for improvement”; however, adolescent participation during the intervention was only 39%, and the diffusion of the lifestyle to their guardians was very low in 56% of the dyads. Conclusions: Classroom success and engagement do not guarantee the transfer of knowledge to the home. Youth empowerment faces hierarchical and structural barriers within the family. Nursing interventions must transcend purely informative approaches and integrate leadership strategies as well as direct family dynamics.

Keywords: Adolescent. Healthy lifestyle. Health education. Family relations. Nursing theory.