Peer-reviewed article
The involvement in health promotion in the setting of daycare centres - Description of access
Kuchler M, Rauscher M, Quilling E ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This German study describes how daycare centres can serve as entry points for health promotion and disease prevention in early childhood, particularly addressing childhood overweight. The research uses participatory methods including Search Conferences to identify local health needs and involve parents and community networks in planning health interventions. The study found that while COVID-19 lockdowns created barriers to in-person engagement, digital participation became possible in some settings, and parents consistently showed strong interest in their children's health.
Key points
- Daycare centres and family centres provide early access to target populations for health promotion in childhood
- Participatory research design using Search Conference methods identified institution-specific health needs and goals
- COVID-19 lockdowns made families and network partners less accessible and heavily burdened
- Digital participation was successfully established in some institutions despite lockdown challenges
- Parents demonstrated consistent interest in children's health across all participating settings
Limitations
The document describes a work-in-progress project during pandemic disruption and does not report outcomes of implemented health interventions or long-term effectiveness of the participatory approach. It provides limited quantitative data on the number of participants, institutions, or measurable health outcomes achieved.
Abstract
Abstract Background For health promotion and prevention in childhood, e.g. overweight, the daycare setting enables particularly early access to the target groups. The aim is to address not only children, but more explicitly also their parents and the wider social environment, and to involve them in the planning and implementation of measures. The project is developing participative and demand-oriented offers in different institutions throughout Germany. Scientific monitoring aims to generate recommendations for action for participatory health research from these various experiences. Methods Access takes place via day care centres and family centres. The participatory research design starts with the Search Conference method. With this method, institution-specific needs are identified on a local level and goals are defined that determine the further processes. The participatory procedure is accompanied by interviews and focus group discussions which are analysed according to Mayring. Results Due to lockdown, access to the target groups via the institution is difficult. Families and network partners are hardly accessible and heavily burdened. Nevertheless, it has been possible to establish digital participation in some institutions. The evaluations show that parents have a great interest in the health of their children. On the one hand, the results indicate that the current conditions lead to a wait-and-see attitude on the part of the institutions, while at the same time the topic of health is gaining in importance among all those involved. Conclusions Participatory methods pose a particular challenge during lockdown and must be adapted to the current situation. Especially when moving participation into the digital space, daycare centres (and similar institutions) play a key role as gatekeepers. Key messages Covid 19 highlights the central role of families and the immediate social environment for children. It is essential to involve them in health promotion to enable children to grow up healthily.