Children’s voices in Community Promotion of Childhood Health and community stakeholder responses

Abstract Background This abstract discusses the community intervention in Generation Healthy Kids (GHK), focusing on involvement of children. Considering children's perspectives in community-based interventions is often overlooked, which can limit intervention effectiveness and children's right to participate. As part of GHK, we examined how primary school children perceived local initiatives to promote children's health and wellbeing, and how community stakeholders involved in GHK responded to their input. Methods We held 15 workshops with 53 children (2nd-3rd grade) to explore their views on community-based health-promoting initiatives in leisure time, which were later shared with local stakeholders. Using a modified Write, Draw, Show and Tell approach, we collected audio recordings, post-it notes, and drawings. Data underwent pragmatic thematic analysis, and findings were presented to stakeholders at six Local Community Meetings to observe their responses. Results Children highlighted organized sports, free movement, activities with family and friends, and varied after-school activities as important for health and wellbeing during leisure time, while conflicts, loneliness, injuries, and chores reduced it. They valued local initiatives that included parents or friends, storytelling, exploratory elements, and a festive atmosphere. Stakeholders demonstrated genuine interest in children's perspectives and requested highly localized data related to specific local initiatives. They expressed a preference for insights that could be immediately applied to ongoing projects. However, some stakeholders tended to reference their own experiences rather than children's views when developing or discussing initiatives. Perspectives Findings suggest that to give children a meaningful voice in multi-setting, multi-component interventions, careful attention to participation levels, timing, methods, and ethics is crucial to ensure their perspectives are translated into action.