Health influencers

What’s on offer?

This is a drop in event, come along to meet public health practitioners and researchers and discuss how we collect and use data to take action on the influences on young people’s health. We are working with local schools and youth groups who are welcome to come along to the event.  You will be able to test a new app for young people to collect and then use their data to influence policymakers.  At 12noon, public health policymakers will attend to hear what the young people have found and comment on whether it might prompt them to take action. 

What’s it about?

For researchers and decision makers to be able to identify when something is harmful or helpful for your health, we need data.  Sometimes the influence is easy to measure, other times your experience of the influence is important meaning we need you to tell us about it.  At this event we will exploring the collection and use of data on young people’s health, especially: diet, exercise, sleep and wellbeing. 

Empowering and enabling people to be heard and have influence in the decisions that affects them is important.  We have worked with young people in schools and youth groups to design the JournHey? app, in which: 

• You can analyse your own data to identify the influences on your health as a citizen scientist. 
• Then work with other young people to build up evidence on what needs to change and then advocate for that change.  This approach is called crowdsourcing as you will be asking lots of other young people for their thoughts and ideas, and working together to call for changes. 

We also want to know what questions we should be researching with health data, to make sure we are developing evidence and policy that is relevant to young people. 

Who’s leading the event?

Dr Andrew James Williams, Senior Lecturer and Co-Director for the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy (SCPHRP) 

Open to

Young people aged 8-18 years and their families, teachers and youth workers.  We also welcome those involved in making policy or taking decisions related to young people aged 8-18 years. 

Of particular interest to

Those interested in uncovering what influences their health and how to contribute to decision making in local and national government. 

Event Booking details

As the event is during school term time, schools or youth groups who are interested in getting involved should email andrew.j.williams@ed.ac.uk