Using creative and playful activities for co-designing a HL intervention with children

Abstract Background Co-designing with children enhances the relevance and impact of health promotion interventions. While involving children poses challenges, it also opens new ways to explore complex constructs like health literacy (HL). This presentation shares insights from a co-design process involving school-aged children in developing HL learning activities for schools. Methods As part of the HeLiKids project, groups of 8-10 children (aged 9-12) participated in 6-7 design sessions. The first 3 sessions focused on exploring health and HL concepts and identifying relevant HL skills. Later sessions centered on designing learning activities to learn those skills in the school context. The process was documented through field notes, structured observations, and ongoing reflections. Results A shared understanding of HL is essential before co-design can begin. Creative, age-appropriate methods, such as health maps and HL skill mapping, supported early exploration. To identify learning needs and prioritize skills, we used body maps and an idea relay with diamond ranking to score and prioritize their suggestions. Structured yet flexible tasks helped balance autonomy with support, avoiding adult over-direction. Children generated original, relevant learning formats, including an escape room and a life-size board game. Conclusions Health promotion efforts are most effective when developed with the communities they serve. Children, when empowered and supported, are capable co-designers. Their insights result in interventions that are engaging, relevant, and impactful.