Building healthy schools through technology-enabled citizen science: The case of the our voice participatory action model in schools from Bogota, Colombia

The physical and social environment of school settings are important for health promotion among children and adolescents. Efforts to create supportive environments at the school level can benefit from including community engagement and empowerment processes to advocate for health promotion. The Our Voice model presents a unique opportunity for Latin American students to improve their school environments. The objective of this study was to engage and empower students (9-18 years) from five schools in Bogota, Colombia to use the Our Voice model to assess and seek to improve their local school environments. This study employed Our Voice's 'citizen science by the people' method using a mobile application for data collection. The Our Voice initiative included the following four phases: (1) Design, planning and recruitment; (2) Data collection; (3) Community meetings for thematic analysis, priority setting and initial design of feasible solutions; and (4) Community meetings with decision-makers to advocate for changes. The citizen scientists identified and advocated for safer physical activity-supportive environments and healthier food and drinks availability. This study allowed children and adolescent citizen scientists to make their voices heard by policymakers and empowered them as agents of change in the process of building healthier schools.

Automated summary

The study aimed to engage Latin American students in improving school environments by promoting health through community engagement and empowerment. Students used the Our Voice model to identify and advocate for safer physical activity-supportive environments and healthier food and drinks availability.