Many children in Bradford do not meet national physical activity guidelines, which can affect their health. JU:MP (Join Us: Move, Play) is a whole-system programme aimed at getting children and families in Bradford active, and it used citizen science, where members of the public help carry out research.
This completed PhD explored children and young people’s experiences of taking part in citizen science within JU:MP. It combined a review of 33 studies with three projects in Bradford, including a co-creation workshop where young people helped write guidelines for future research.
The findings show that young people enjoy and learn most when adults genuinely share power with them, when the environment is supportive, and when creative methods are used. Rigid ethics processes, adult gatekeeping and tokenistic involvement limit these benefits. The research produced a framework for inclusive citizen science and co-created guidelines to help researchers and policymakers involve children more meaningfully in public health research.
The toolkit will be available on the JU:MP Resource Hub.
