Peer-reviewed article
Participatory health research and promotion with children in Germany: a scoping review.
Landwehr J, Luetke Lanfer H, Schierenbeck M, Heim-Scheffel LM ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review systematically examined how participatory health research and promotion (PHR/P) with children has been conducted in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland from 2000 to 2024. The review identified 12 projects across 23 publications that used participatory approaches with children on health-related topics. The research found that while creative methods were common, children's participation was typically limited to operational phases like data collection, with less involvement in conceptual decisions. Health-related goals dominated over genuine participatory aims, and reporting of participatory processes was often vague.
Key points
- Only 12 projects met inclusion criteria, indicating limited documented PHR/P work with children in Germany
- Most projects were situated in educational or communal settings rather than clinical contexts
- Children typically participated alongside adults rather than as the sole group of non-academic actors
- Creative methods such as photovoice, theater, and drawing were widely used
- Reflections on sustainability, power relations, and children's perceived benefits were rarely addressed in the reports
Limitations
This is a scoping review of published reports and may not capture all participatory projects conducted in Germany; the review focuses only on explicitly documented participatory approaches and cannot assess the quality or actual effectiveness of participation as enacted in practice.
Abstract
Background Participatory health research and promotion (PHR/P) emphasizes collaborative knowledge production, mutual learning, and redistribution of power between academic and non-academic actors. With children, PHR/P has gained increasing legitimacy under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognizes children as rights-holders and social actors. However, little is known about how PHR/P with children is framed and enacted in Germany. This review provides the first systematic overview of PHR/P with children in Germany. Methods We conducted a scoping review following Arksey and O'Malley's framework and PRISMA guidelines. Searches were performed in four databases in March-April 2024, supplemented by snowballing of friends' studies. Eligible studies (2000-2024) reported empirical projects in Germany (plus two projects from German-speaking Switzerland) that explicitly applied participatory approaches with children (< 18 years) and addressed health-related topics. Medical intervention studies and studies limited to clinical patient groups were excluded. Data extraction used a structured codebook adapted from the International Collaboration for Participatory Health Research and focusing on objectives, actors, research phases, and reflections. Two reviewers coded each report independently. Results Twelve projects (23 publications) met the inclusion criteria. Most projects were situated in educational or communal contexts. Health-related objectives were consistently reported, often focusing on behavioural change. Participatory objectives were less frequent, remained implicit in several cases, and were rarely defined with children. Children typically participated alongside other adults, rarely as the sole group of non-academic actors. Participation was usually reported in operational phases (e.g. data collection), whereas involvement in conceptual phases (e.g. defining research questions, analysis, dissemination) was uncommon. Creative methods (e.g. photovoice, theater, drawing) were widely used. Reflections focused mainly on ethics, informed consent, and child protection, while sustainability, power relations, and children's perceived benefits were seldom addressed. Reporting practices were often vague, limiting systematic assessment. Discussion PHR/P with children in Germany has gained traction but remains unevenly reported. Health-related goals dominate participatory aims, children's roles are often mediated by adults, and reflections on sustainability and power remain underdeveloped. Greater transparency in reporting participatory processes is essential to strengthen cumulative knowledge and design meaningful child-centred approaches. Trial registration N/A.