Optimising a co-production framework for developing public health interventions: application and testing of...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Intervention Science
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Existing public health intervention frameworks lack guidance on stakeholder co-production for context-specific interventions.
• A prior review of school-based co-production identified a promising framework for developing interventions.
• This study aimed to refine and test this framework in real-world secondary school settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize a co-production framework for developing school-based public health interventions.
• To apply and test the framework in diverse secondary school contexts.
• To gather stakeholder perspectives for framework modification and integration into practice.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-method process evaluation was conducted in two UK secondary schools.
• Research Action Groups (RAGs) with students, staff, and Senior Management Teams (SMTs) were formed.
• Data included researcher diaries, observations, RAG meeting records, interviews, surveys, and SMT focus groups.

Main Results:

• Four key recommendations emerged for optimizing the co-production framework.
• Recommendations emphasize assessing school readiness, ensuring whole-system stakeholder involvement, engaging SMTs throughout, and involving external stakeholders.
• The study highlighted the need for tailored interventions for school mental health and wellbeing.

Conclusions:

• The optimized framework facilitates shared decision-making for developing context-specific public health interventions in schools.
• The framework can be adapted for developing interventions in other health areas and settings.
• Further evaluation is recommended to test the framework's applicability in diverse contexts.