Grant: CIHR Fellowship

The places and spaces we live, work, and play impact our health. For children and youth, schools are an ideal place to promote health. This may include strategies like healthy food options in the cafeteria, increased time for physical activity, or available mental health supports. Involving youth voice in school health promotion is important for the overall success of these strategies. However, little is known about what factors impact youth engagement in school health promotion. This research aims to understand and identify the factors that impact youth engagement in school health promotion in Canada. These factors are also referred to as the essential conditions. To do so, we will conduct three related studies in collaboration with an advisory committee made up of partners including youth, school community members, government representatives, researchers and non-profit organizations. We will conduct two studies to understand "what are the essential conditions for youth engagement in school health promotion?". The first study will involve interviewing school health promotion partners from across Canada to listen to their perspectives. The second study will further listen to youth perspectives from two provinces (Alberta and Nova Scotia) using a method called photovoice. Photovoice is a method where you ask participants to take photos related to a research topic, and use those photos to help explain their experiences. The findings from these two studies will lead to the third study that will involve the development of a consensus survey that will be completed by a wider group of partners across Canada to produce agreement on the essential conditions for youth engagement in school health promotion. This study will lead to the establishment of evidence-informed statements on the essential conditions for youth engagement in school health promotion. This deliverable will help strengthen school health promotion, and in turn lead to healthier young Canadians.