Including the voices of children and young people in health policy development: An Irish perspective:

Objective:This paper presents findings of a qualitative study which explored children and young people’s understanding of health and the factors that contribute, or act as barriers, to healthy lifestyles. Views were elicited from consultations with children and young people as part of the process for the development of a National Obesity Policy in Ireland.Design:Child participatory methodology was used which prioritised the voice of the child in policy making.Methods:Two consultations were held – one with 48 children between the ages of 8 and 12 and the other with 34 young people aged 13–17 years. The consultations utilised qualitative participatory methodology which prioritised the voices of children and young people in policy making. A diverse range of methodological tools (e.g. ‘lifelines’, ‘body maps’, world cafe workshops) were used to collect data and optimise levels of participant engagement. Qualitative visual and written data produced during the consultations was then subjected to thematic analys...