Participative research processes with
schoolchildren: what do they want to know
about health?
Natasha Clarke
Saoirse Nic Gabhainn
Health Promotion Research Centre,
National University of Ireland Galway
Health Behaviour in
School-aged Children (HBSC)
• Cross-national study in collaboration with WHO Europe
• 4 year cycle, in 2010 43 countries and regions
• 16,060 Irish young people participated in 2010
HBSC aim:
Gain insight into and increase our understanding of young
people’s health and well-being, health behaviours and their
social context.
Background
• HBSC Ireland liaises with various stakeholders through out the
research process
• Until recently children’s involvement in the research process
has been minimal
• This project is one step in a planned series of steps designed
to increase children’s participation with HBSC Ireland.
Why involve children?
• Potential health promoting benefits to youth
• Inform the research at various stages
question development, testing, design and dissemination
• Insure the research relevant to young people’s lives
• Make the materials for schools more youth friendly.
Aims of this study
• To investigate what HBSC topics Irish children find most
interesting
• To document what they would like to know about each
‘interesting’ topic.
Participation
• Engagement of research participants in the research process
• Transfer of power and control to the participants
• Process of research can be health promoting.
• Adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 –
article 12: states that children and young people should have their
opinions taken into account in all major decisions affecting their
lives.
Research Questions
1. Can we use participatory research approaches with
schoolchildren to facilitate their involvement in the
research and planning process?
2. What would young people in Ireland like to know about
health and related topics?
Methodology
• School-children – mixed gender, aged 10-18 years
• Nine schools; 5 primary and 4 post-primary
• Rural, urban, disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged
• Consent obtained from schools, parents and children
• Ten workshops with 19 groups of children (40 minutes).
Workshop Procedure
Introduction: Outline of HBSC research process
Icebreaker: Group game
Group Contract: Group-set principles for the workshops
Snap Game: 51 topic cards to rank in order of interest
Pizza chart: one section for each of the 12 interesting topics.
Workshop Pizza Chart
Ranking
Topic
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Alcohol
Puberty
Drugs
Being really drunk
Smoking
Fighting
Your health
Body image
Physical health
Emotional Health
Happy with life
Close friends
No. of groups ranking topic
in their list of top 12 most interesting
16
14
14
14
12
11
9
9
9
8
8
8
What children want to know about alcohol
What children want to know about puberty
What children want to know about drugs
What children want to know about smoking
Discussion
• Students indicated a broad interest in HBSC topics and
volunteered many specific questions that could be addressed
through health education or health media
• This process provided children with the opportunity to explore
their own priorities in relation to the information gathered
through HBSC
• These data could be used to guide curricular resources & other
materials in child and adolescent health promotion.
Discussion
• The results could serve as a catalyst for change in relation to
health promotion practice with children and young people
• The findings could help in future planning for HBSC surveys and
dissemination activities
• The methodologies used in this work can facilitate researchers,
health promotion practitioners and policy makers to actively
engage participants in research and thus inform practice and
policies relating to health.
Future work
• To develop a web resource to answer/address some of the
questions posed by young people in Ireland
• To work more closely with young people on the HBSC Ireland
research process
• To further develop and refine the participatory research
processes used here
• To continue to the work on youth participation within HBSC
international.
Acknowledgements
• Children, schools and parents
• Ms. Priscilla Doyle
• Ms. Natasha Clarke
• Dr. Colette Kelly
• Ms. Gail Cummins
• Dr. Jane Sixsmith
• Dr. Siobhan O’ Higgins
• Dr. Michal Molcho
saoirse.nicgabhainn@nuigalway.ie
HBSC Ireland
http://www.nuigalway.ie/hbsc/
HBSC International
htpp://www.hbsc.org
HPRC (Health Promotion Research Centre)
http://www.nuigalway.ie/hprc