Harnessing health information to foster disadvantaged teens' community engagement, leadership skills, and career plans: a qualitative evaluation of the Teen Health Leadership Program.
This paper describes a qualitative evaluation of a small-scale program aiming to improve health information literacy, leadership skills, and interest in health careers among high school students in a low-income, primarily minority community. Graduates participated in semi-structured interviews, transcripts of which were coded with a combination of objectives-driven and data-driven categories. The program had a positive impact on the participants' health information competency, leadership skills, academic orientation, and interest in health careers. Program enablers included a supportive network of adults, novel experiences, and strong mentorship. The study suggests that health information can provide a powerful context for enabling disadvantaged students' community engagement and academic success.
Alla
A
Keselman
Einas A
EA
Ahmed
Deborah C
DC
Williamson
Janice E
JE
Kelly
Gale A
GA
Dutcher
D000293:Adolescent; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D012922:Social Change; D013022:South Carolina; D035862:Vulnerable Populations