title: Creating a student-led health magazine with an urban, multicultural, resource-restricted elementary school: Approach, process and impact.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Health magazines effectively deliver health information. No data regarding student-led magazines to promote health exist.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether children's health knowledge, interests and lifestyle choices improve following distribution of a student-led health magazine.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elementary students worked with teachers and paediatric residents to publish a health magazine. A healthy lifestyle challenge page promoted reduction in soda pop consumption. Pre- and poststudent questionnaires explored knowledge, interests and behaviours related to health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sex and grade distributions were similar in pre- and post-questionnaires. Ninety-seven percent of children reported the magazine helped them learn about health. Pre- and postknowledge scores did not differ (P=0.36). Following distribution, the percentage of students who reported drinking no soda increased from 43% to 67% (P=0.004), and those who reported drinking <2 glasses of soda per day increased from 66% to 85% (P=0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A student-led health magazine was effective in motivating short-term student-reported behavioural change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Division of Developmental Paediatrics, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario;
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Porepa
authors.affiliation: Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta;
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Developmental Pediatrician, St Michael's Hospital & The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario;
authors.forename: Joelene
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, USA;
authors.forename: Catherine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Division of Paediatric Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: Hosanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Au
authors.affiliation: Division of Paediatric Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: Catherine S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Birken
keywords: Children; Community-based participatory research; Community-based public health; Health advocacy; Health literacy