YoPA - A Youth-centred Participatory Action

Summary

Background

A vast majority of adolescents do not meet guidelines for healthy physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and sleep, posing major risks for developing multiple non-communicable diseases. Unhealthy lifestyles seem more prevalent in urban than rural areas, with the neighbourhood environment as a mediating pathway linking urban living and poor health. How to develop and implement sustainable and effective interventions focused on adolescent health and wellbeing in urban vulnerable life situations is a key challenge and research gap. This paper describes the protocol of a Youth-centred Participatory Action (YoPA) project aiming to tailor, implement, and evaluate social and physical environmental interventions using an evidence-informed youth-centred co-creation approach, for structural improvement of the lifestyles of adolescents in urban vulnerable life situations.

Methods

In diverse urban environments in Denmark, the Netherlands, Nigeria, and South Africa, academic researchers will engage adolescents (12-19 years) growing up in vulnerable life situations and other key stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, urban planners, community leaders) in local co-creation communities. Together with academic researchers and local stakeholders, adolescents will take a leading role in mapping the local system for needs and opportunities; tailoring interventions to their local context; implementing and evaluating interventions during participatory meetings over the course of three years. YoPA applies a participatory mixed methods design guided by the newly developed SUPER-AIM framework assessing: (i) the local Systems, (ii) User perspectives, (iii) the Participatory co-creation process, (ii) Effects, iv) Reach, (vi) Adoption, (vii) Implementation, and (viii) Maintenance of interventions, in an integrated manner.

Discussion

YoPA aims to fill various research gaps, including the development of a practical protocol guiding the application of co-creation to tailor evidence-informed interventions to divers, multi-country contexts. Additionally, it focuses on advancing the research gap in physical activity and health within Sub-Saharan Africa and the involvement of adolescents in shaping their physical and social environments. Academic researchers envision that the YoPA co-creation approach will serve as a guide for participation of adolescents in vulnerable life situations in implementation of health promotion and urban planning in Europe, Africa and globally.

Conditions

• Physical Activity
• Health Promotion
• Sleep
• Screen Use

Interventions

OTHER

Social and/or physical environmental interventions

To be determined in the co-creation groups at the four sites (Denmark, the Netherlands, Nigeria, South Africa)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Stichting Alexander (the Netherlands)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Syddansk Universitet, Denmark

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Aalborg Municipality

  collaborator OTHER

• University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg (South Africa)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• WITS Health Consortium (South Africa)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Redeemer's University (Nigeria)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Value Re-Orientation for Community Enhancement (Nigeria)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde, Belgium

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• COFAC Cooperativa de Formacao e Animacao Cultural CRL (Portugal)

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• EMMA Communicatie B.V.

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Mai JM Chin A Paw, Prof.Dr. · Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc

• Teatske M Altenburg, A/Prof.Dr. · Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc

• Jasper Schipperijn, Prof.Dr. · Syddansk Universitet

• Charlotte S Pawlowski, A/Prof.Dr. · Syddansk Universitet

• Adewale L Oyeyemi, A/Prof.Dr. · Arizona State University

• Bruno Marchal, Prof.Dr. · Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde

• António L Palmeira, A/Prof.Dr. · COFAC Cooperativa de Formacao e Animacao Cultural CRL

• Marlene Nunes Silva, A/Prof.Dr. · COFAC Cooperativa de Formacao e Animacao Cultural CRL

• Dayo Omotoso, Dr. · Redeemer's University

• Lisa Ware, Dr. · University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

• Lauren Stuart, Dr. · WITS Health Hubb

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

12 Years

Max Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-11-01

Primary Completion

2026-12-31

Completion

2026-12-31

Countries

• Denmark
• Netherlands
• Nigeria
• South Africa

Study Locations