Children's perspectives on health and wellbeing: A concept mapping study

Area of Science:

• Child Health Research
• Public Health
• Pediatric Psychology

Background:

• Children's perspectives on health and wellbeing are often overlooked in public health services.
• Improving preventive youth healthcare requires understanding children's unique viewpoints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore children's perspectives on health and wellbeing.
• To gather insights for enhancing preventive youth healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A concept mapping study involving 82 Dutch primary school children (ages 9-12).
• Children generated and rated ideas on health and wellbeing.
• Multidimensional scaling, hierarchical clustering, and qualitative analysis were used.
• Focus groups with healthcare professionals (nurses and physicians) were conducted.

Main Results:

• Children generated extensive lists of themes for health (7 themes) and wellbeing (9 themes).
• Key themes included healthy living environments, nutrition, leisure, social connections, emotions, and digital activities.
• Children's views were broader and less risk-oriented than those of healthcare professionals.

Conclusions:

• Children possess diverse and comprehensive perceptions of health and wellbeing.
• Incorporating children's perspectives can significantly improve the adaptation and effectiveness of youth health services.