Home and school responsibilities for children’s health literacy development: the views of Finnish and Russian parents and teachers

ABSTRACT This study examined how parents and teachers of pupils aged 10–11 in North Karelia, Finland, and the Republic of Karelia, Russia, perceived the home and school responsibilities associated with providing children with information related to different health learning content areas. The majority of parents and teachers considered guiding pupils’ health learning as a joint responsibility of home and school. Finnish and Russian parents’ views differed in several areas; the largest differences concerned the areas of oral health and dental care and washing and hygiene. Teachers’ views were more consistent between regions than parents’ views; the largest difference was in the area of sexuality and reproduction. Within each region, teachers perceived more areas to be the school's responsibility than parents did.