[Health promotion and overweight prevention-a systematic evaluation of available information materials with a focus on risk groups].

BACKGROUND

Children and adolescents from families with a migration background and/or low social status belong to risk groups for the development of overweight. At the same time, they are considered difficult to approach for health promotion. This paper aims to provide an overview of freely available print and web-based materials on health promotion and to evaluate these in terms of formal, content-related, and target-group-specific criteria.

METHOD

From August to September 2017, print media and websites were screened using systematic keyword searches in a large search engine. Search results were evaluated by an evidence-based catalogue of criteria and rated by comparative analysis. Health apps freely available from an app store were investigated, tested, and evaluated descriptively.

RESULTS

Eighty-nine print media, 58 websites and 32 apps were found. Of the print media items, 11.2% are available in different languages; in 29% culturally sensitive aspects are considered and in 12.4% the material makes use of clear, nontechnical language. In 40.6% of the websites, either another language can be chosen or foreign language downloads are available. Most common are translations into English (37.5%), Turkish (31.3%), Arabic (28.1%), and Russian (25%). In 37.5% of the websites, the material addresses culturally sensitive aspects. From the tested apps (n = 25), only a few qualitatively high-ranked ones are aimed at parents and pregnant women and these are often text-based and exclusively available in German.

DISCUSSION

Only few informational materials are directly oriented to the everyday world of risk groups. For this target group, material drawn up in clear language with multiple translations as well as with culturally adapted designs is recommended.