Between urgent and lifelong matters: overweight children’s voices on health promotion pedagogies

Abstract

This article addresses the learner perspective on doing overweight by listening to 39 Danish overweight children aged 8 to 13 years old. In accordance with the existing critique of the 'obesity epidemic' and medico-scientific discourses around food and exercise, this article explores how new health imperatives shape overweight children's self-narratives. Health pedagogical activities in Denmark are between urgent and lifelong approaches to achieving health, and the article presents overweight children's voices on having to learn new health behaviour in between these two schisms. From a social constructionist and post-structuralist perspective, the analysis demonstrates how the children both subscribe to discourses of discipline and control over health actions, as well as legitimate narratives of having to adjust, accommodate and negotiate health challenges to everyday life practices. The article addresses what can be learnt from listening to overweight children's voices in the context of performing meaningful health pedagogies.

Parents’ recalled experiences of the child centred health dialogue in children with overweight: a qualitative study

“…A study in which children with overweight who were aged 8-13 years participated in a health course suggested that participation in a non-judgmental health dialogue could help children to improve their health. These children articulated that the course helped them to develop strategies to cope with challenges and improve health behaviours in their everyday lives [30]. Further studies will be needed to determine whether very young children with overweight should be involved in such discussions.…”

Young people’s involvement in migration research – opportunities for (re)shaping research priorities and practices

“…as research participant, advisor, co-researcher). Contemporary examples of young people's research participation can be found across a range of disciplines and areas, including (but not limited to) education (see Can & Göksenin 2017;Forde et al 2018), health (see From 2019;Martin et al 2018), family life (see Shah et al 2021), and social media and peer relationships (see Goodyear, Armour & Wood 2018;Hunter, van Blerk & Shand 2021). The increasing commitment to the 'meaningful' engagement of young people in research has been largely triggered in response to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (UN 1989).…”

Privileges of Power: Authenticity, Representation and the “Problem” of Children’s Voices in Qualitative Health Research

“…Such approaches are further defended by recourse to their emancipatory and inclusive potential of an otherwise disenfranchised and "vulnerable" group. In relation to health, research with children has taken a focus on their thoughts on health and illness (Brady et al, 2015), health care policy and service provision (Persson et al, 2017), healthy lifestyles and practices (Martin et al, 2018) and health promotion (From, 2017;Mengwasser & Walton, 2013).…”

“…Such approaches are often championed for offering a more authentic account of their perspectives and lived experiences. Indeed, there is now an extensive body of research from across different disciplines that aims to give children a voice on matters that affect them including from education and schooling (see Can & Göksenin, 2017;Forde et al, 2018), health (see From, 2017;Mengwasser & Walton, 2013), social work and social care (see Chapman et al, 2010), geography (see Kanngieser, 2012), psychology (see Fox, 2016), and the humanities (see Chawa et al, 2018).…”