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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1510035
Developing A Model of Interactive Health Literacy Among College Students Majoring in Kinesiology: A Grounded Theory Approach
Provisionally accepted- 1East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- 2Hebei Sport University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- 3Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China
- 4Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
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Background: Health literacy among college students majoring in kinesiology is higher than that among students in other majors. However, the structure of interactive health literacy is poorly understood, which may affect overall health literacy. Despite existing research on health literacy, studies targeting college students majoring in kinesiology are scarce, and a gap remains in translating study results into practical strategies. Therefore, this study constructed a theoretical model of interactive health literacy among college students majoring in kinesiology. Methods: Qualitative data were collected from online posts, a literature review, and semi-structured interviews with 11 college students majoring in kinesiology, physical education teachers, and six physical fitness experts in China. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Interview questions focused on participants' perceptions of the structure and characteristics of interactive health literacy among college students majoring in kinesiology. Data were analyzed based on the grounded theory.Results: The analysis derived three categories with eight subcategories, 60 concepts, and 288 labels. The categories and subcategories were harnessing health information (comprising obtaining health information and comprehending health information), promoting health interactions (comprising perceiving health functions, shaping health awareness, and participating in health communication), and addressing health problems (comprising forming health motivation, making healthy decisions, and practicing healthy living).Conclusions: College students majoring in kinesiology in China exhibited unique trends in interactive health literacy compared to students in other countries. Further large-scale surveys are required to revise and validate the initial exploration of perceptions and investigate the structural system of interactive health literacy in various groups.
Keywords: Kinesiology, interactive health literacy, grounded theory, Sports, China
Received: 12 Oct 2024; Accepted: 11 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wen, Wang, Zhou, Yin, Yuan and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Mei Zhou, Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College, Shanghai, 201415, Shanghai Municipality, China
Zhihua Yin, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.