Peer-reviewed article
Video as a Tool to Facilitate Cross-National Youth Participation in the Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study.
Lunney L, Kleszczewska D, Branquinho C, Godeau E, Gabhainn SN et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study describes how the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) research network used videos to enable adolescents to actively participate in a cross-national study. Fifty adolescents from 16 countries submitted videos sharing their perspectives on health, government action, and their hopes for the future. The videos were analyzed and presented at a major conference, directly influencing future survey design and health policymaking. The approach successfully engaged young people across diverse countries, though resource constraints limited participation in some regions.
Key points
- 50 adolescents from 16 countries participated by submitting videos about adolescent health priorities and policy recommendations
- Adolescents highlighted current and emerging health issues that influenced future HBSC survey protocols
- Video findings impacted both research protocol development and policymaking decisions
- Results were disseminated at the HBSC 40th Anniversary meeting to a broad audience
- Capacity limitations in some countries were identified as a barrier to broader youth participation
Limitations
The document does not specify which countries participated or provide demographic details about the adolescents involved. It does not evaluate the quality or depth of youth engagement, or compare outcomes with alternative participation methods.
Abstract
Purpose To describe an approach taken by the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) network to enable adolescents to play an active role in a cross-national research study. Methods Using a standard protocol, adolescents from across the HBSC network were recruited to submit videos outlining their perspectives on adolescent health, actions that governments should take and their hopes for the future. The videos were analyzed using content analysis. Results One third of the country teams (n = 16) took part with 50 adolescents submitting videos. The videos were disseminated at the HBSC 40th Anniversary meeting, and the findings impacted protocol development, data interpretation, and policymaking. Discussion Adolescents highlighted current and emerging health issues, which has influenced future HBSC surveys and policymaking. The use of video successfully facilitated the involvement of adolescents across a wide range of countries. Capacity is a key challenge for some countries to get involved in youth participation.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Use of video as a tool to enable adolescents to submit perspectives on health issues, government actions needed, and future hopes across a multi-country research network
- Population
- Adolescents across the HBSC network countries (50 participants from 16 country teams)
Key finding
50 adolescents from 16 country teams submitted videos
L et al. · Europe PMC · 23 Sept 2026