YoPA – The Youth-centred Participatory Action Study

Introduction and aim

Many adolescents do not meet the current physical activity guidelines. Interventions targeting adolescents have often yielded disappointing results, primarily due to their lack of context specificity and top-down, adult-driven implementation.

Our primary objective is to collaboratively create, implement, and evaluate activity initiatives to enhance the well-being and physical activity levels of adolescents aged 12 to 18 who find themselves in vulnerable life situations.

Our study

This study will be conducted in vulnerable neighborhoods across four countries: the Netherlands, South Africa, Nigeria, and Denmark.

The Danish segment of the study is led by the World Playground Research Institute and will be centered in the Nørresundby neighborhood in the city of Aalborg. Adolescents from two youth centers in this area will actively participate in tailoring these activity spots.

Read more about this project here: YoPA Linktree.

Find a video about YoPA’s first year here: YoPA’s first year.

Timeline

The study runs from 2023-2027.

What we expect

This study holds significant potential for real-world impact as it strives to address challenges related to healthy lifestyles and generate new insights into co-creating health interventions with adolescents living in vulnerable circumstances.