Youth engagement in research and policy: The CO-CREATE framework to optimize power balance and mitigate risks of conflicts of interest

Abstract

SummaryIncluding youth in the co-creation of policies that affect them has proven to be par-ticularly impactful in public health. Using youth participatory action researchmethods, the CO-CREATE project engages European youth 16–18 years old in theco-creation of obesity prevention policies. To discuss the feasibility and implicationsof the policy, youth are invited to engage in an intergenerational dialogue. Given theyouth–adult dynamic and policy discussion, conflicts of interests (COIs) can arise andimpact the quality of the dialogue. COI frameworks are a tool that can help identify,mitigate, and address COIs. This paper presents a novel framework to mitigate COIsin intergenerational policy dialogues, with a focus on power imbalance. Following aseries of youth consultations, interviews, and examination of existing frameworks,our findings suggest that safe, participatory, and empowering dialogues can takeplace if appropriate measures are integrated into all phases of a dialogue. The selec-tion of stakeholders, use of accessible language, and youth moderation are all factorsthat can impact COI risks. Measures that promote mutual empowerment, such asequal representation of youth and adults, were deemed important. This frameworkprovides a roadmap to ensure that youth participation in the formulation of policiesis safe and empowering. KEYWORDS: conflicts of interest, overweight and obesity, policy, youth participation

Youth engagement in research and policy: The CO-CREATE framework to optimize power balance and mitigate risks of conflicts of interest