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School of Health & Human Performance
Shows Hannah Goss working with students in the lifelab

DCU LifeLab health literacy programme secures €950,000 in funding

DCU Research News - LifeLab
The project is co-designed with teachers, young people, and health professionals to improve the health knowledge, choices and behaviour of disadvantaged Irish teenagers. The Sunflower Foundation are providing €950,000 in funding over five years.

LifeLab is a health literacy intervention aimed at 12-16 years olds. It is an interactive educational space  for adolescents located on DCU’s Glasnevin  designed to develop Health Literacy. The space is made up of interactive learning stations offering students a hands on experience in order to engage them in the content and develop their knowledge of the subject.

Beginning in 2018, LifeLab Dublin has worked with over 1000 young people from 10 DEIS schools to co-design and pilot the programme. Health literacy refers to an individual's ability to access, understand, evaluate, and use health information and services to make informed decisions about their health. It includes the skills needed to navigate healthcare systems, interpret medical advice, manage medications, and understand the impact of lifestyle choices on health. In October this year, the Lifelab held sessions for over 200 local secondary school students.

The team recently completed an extensive mixed methods assessment of the programme Overall, the LifeLab sessions was perceived positively by the students and teachers and provided valuable insight into the refinements required to enhance the efficacy of the LifeLab.

The project is designed to dovetail with the ‘Wellbeing Programme’ in Irish schools which includes the delivery of Physical Education, CSPE, and SPHE. It also aligns with the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) plan.

In 2025, the programme will move to a purpose-built lab on the ground floor of the new DCU Polaris building.