Safe environments-Through the eyes of 9-year-old schoolchildren from a socially vulnerable area in Sweden

Using a participatory action research approach to explore, understand and evaluate well-being among children living in socially deprived areas in Southern Sweden: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Research suggests that participating in after-school leisure activities has been related to promoting health, well-being and safety among children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The United Nations Child Rights Convention emphasises the inclusion of children in decisions that concern them. However, children seldom are involved in designing implementing and evaluating health promotional environments. The aim of this programme is through a participatory process with children, parents/guardians, and peer-activity leaders explore, measure and evaluate the impact on children's overall well-being related to the social context in an already established health promotion environments in Southern Sweden.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The project is based on a previously implemented unique community-based participatory research (CBPR) model for equal health in three socially disadvantaged areas in Malmö. All activity house (AAH) is a meeting place for children established in schools but after school time by the culture department of the Malmö municipality. In AAH migrant children participate in need-driven after school activities that they themselves create and develop. To increase participation of the children and ensure that these environments are based on their needs, 30 children (10-12 years), parents/guardians (30), peer-activity leaders (15), and researchers create CBPR teams in the areas and engage in a participatory process. The children reflect, analyse and write about their well-being; identify and discuss key factors in an iterative process, which also includes a strategic group of stakeholders. The children then develop and validate (with 100 other children from AAH) the Socioculturally Aligned Survey Instrument for Children survey inspired by the KIDSSCREEN V.27. The survey tool so developed will further be used to evaluate AAH and will be distributed to all children participating in their activities.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This programme has been approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. The results from this programme will be published as reports and scientific publication.

Perceptions of health among school-aged children living in socially vulnerable areas in Sweden

Introduction

According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children have the right to health. Since good health is a decisive factor for children's future, investing in children's health is important, especially children from vulnerable areas. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of health among school-aged children from socially vulnerable areas.

Methods

The study has an explorative mixed-method design with a participatory and inductive approach based on focus group interviews with children and youth leaders, respectively, at Multi-activity Centers in three of the vulnerable areas in Malmö Municipality, as well as results from the Multi-activity Centers' own questionnaire. The data has been analyzed with inductive and deductive content analysis.

Results

The children and the youth leaders described health in terms of well-being, participation, and activity. Well-being included feeling good and safe, having a healthy body, and having fun by doing things together with friends and leaders. Participating in activities was described as having a feeling of involvement, being able to have an influence on the organization of the activities and participating on one's own terms.

Discussion

The result of this study shows that participating in activities increases the child's sense of well-being.

Lay Health Promoters Empower Neighbourhoods-Results From a Community-Based Research Programme in Southern Sweden

This article focuses on the role of lay health promoters in the Lindängen initiative, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) programme for health promotion that started 2016 in a low-income neighbourhood in the outskirts of Malmö, southern Sweden. The programme aimed to support equitable health and develop an innovative model for community health promotion. The purpose of this article is to describe the role of the lay health promoters in the initiative and discuss the challenges of their position mediating between residents of the neighbourhood and the established institutions, using interviews, meeting notes and focus groups sessions with the health promoters and local stakeholders. Lay health promoters' role and function developed in a collaborative process of networking with local stakeholders and citizens in local meeting places. Their work was based on their credibility in their role, in combination with the use of a CBPR model that was open to innovation, with a strong focus on actively engaging members of the community. This allowed the lay health promoters to take political and social stances towards various issues, and to start to concretely address the social determinants of health in the community, as well as express recommendations to policymakers. Based on these experiences, the lay health promoters gained clearer insights into the institutional and structural conditions that impact their community. The position they had in the process of the programme resulted in empowerment and a new local association for health promotion; LindängenKraft (LindängenPower) driven by the health promotors and community members.

Safe environments-Through the eyes of 9-year-old schoolchildren from a socially vulnerable area in Sweden

BACKGROUND

Children are more vulnerable than adults to environmental risks. Also, children have little control over their environment. Unlike adults, they may be both unaware of risks and unable to make choices to protect their health. Children living in especially vulnerable areas might be even more at risk due to socio-economic factors, immigration and high crime rates. Therefore, the aim of this study was to describe the perceptions that schoolchildren from a socially vulnerable area have of safe environments.

METHODS

Fifty-two 9-year-old schoolchildren from a socially vulnerable area participated in this study. The data collection consisted of an environmental walk with photovoicing, followed by rating of the photos and a focus-group discussion elaborating on the photos and ratings. Six focus groups, with six to eight children in each group, were conducted and analysed using inductive content analysis.

RESULTS

The results show that, according to the children, places that they think are bright and beautiful, where they can do fun things with others and do not risk being exposed to danger, create safety. To increase safety, the children suggested cleaning up, making the environment beautiful with grass and flowers and painting it in nice colours. Furthermore, they suggested that building features that increase the opportunities to play and engage in activities together with others would improve safety and enhance protection and surveillance.

CONCLUSIONS

All children have the right to protection and safety. Therefore, it is important to create safe environments for all children by listening to children's own voices.