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'I can play!' young children's perceptions of health

Lena Almqvist1, Petra Hellnäs, Maria Stefansson

  • 1Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden. lena.almqvist@mdh.se

Pediatric Rehabilitation
|October 20, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Young children perceive health as multidimensional, focusing on engagement in desired activities and supportive environments. Health promotion for kids should prioritize child engagement and participation.

Area of Science:

  • Child Health Research
  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Modern health concepts extend beyond merely the absence of illness.
  • Understanding children's perspectives is crucial for effective health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore how young children (4-5 years) perceive health.
  • To analyze children's health perceptions using a multidimensional framework.

Main Methods:

  • Semi-structured interviews with 68 preschool children.
  • Analysis based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) dimensions.
  • Manifest deductive and latent content analysis of interview data.

Main Results:

  • Children perceive health as multidimensional, encompassing body, activity, participation, and environment.
  • A key theme is the importance of engagement: performing desired activities and participating in supportive contexts.
  • Health is linked to the ability to perform wanted activities and engage in a supportive environment.

Conclusions:

  • Young children's health perceptions are complex and tied to engagement.
  • Health promotion and interventions for young children should prioritize and focus on enhancing child engagement and participation.

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