“Pictures helped me understand it in a way words couldn’t”: Youth reflections participating in a youth-led photovoice study.

Publication date: Sep 06, 2024

People with lived experience of a health issue can be engaged in research to address issues related to social justice, informing change through partnerships and an understanding of community perspectives and needs. Although photovoice has been applied to various disciplines and topics across the health sciences, the concrete design of the photovoice process and participants’ experience of engaging in photovoice is not always well documented or understood. This paper describes youth participants’ experiences and perspectives with a youth-led photovoice design process on a study regarding COVID-19 vaccine confidence. The sample consisted of 27 youth aged 14-24 who reported experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges [MHSU] during the COVID-19 pandemic and some degree of COVID-19 vaccine confidence. Youth participated in a series of photography workshops, then each attended one of the six focus groups about both the topic and experience of the photovoice project. Four themes were constructed from the data: 1) Participating in a photovoice project was an enjoyable experience that had a positive effect on participants; 2) Shared group experiences contributed to building a safe space for participants; 3) Photography and the photovoice process served as a catalyst for reflection; 4) Photovoice shifted participants’ perspectives on both the COVID-19 vaccine and photography. This project, a youth-engaged and youth-led photovoice study, describes how the photovoice methodology can be applied in a public health context to meaningfully involve young people and impact their lives. By involving youth in the co-construction of the study design and implementation, photovoice research can represent positive and empowering experiences for participants. Bringing together a diverse and multifaceted lived experience engagement research team structure strengthened the design, delivery, analysis, and interpretation of the project.

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Concepts Keywords
Covid Adolescent
Pandemic COVID-19
Photovoice COVID-19 Vaccines
Vaccine COVID-19 Vaccines
Young Female
Focus Groups
Humans
Male
Mental Health
Photography
SARS-CoV-2
Young Adult

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease IDO process
disease MESH substance use
disease MESH COVID-19 pandemic
pathway REACTOME Reproduction
disease MESH chronic illness
drug DRUGBANK Aspartame
drug DRUGBANK Etoperidone
disease MESH comorbidity
pathway REACTOME Translation
disease MESH confusion
drug DRUGBANK Spinosad
disease IDO role
drug DRUGBANK Methionine
drug DRUGBANK Ranitidine
disease MESH emergency
disease IDO replication
drug DRUGBANK Trestolone
disease MESH anxiety
drug DRUGBANK Nonoxynol-9
disease MESH mental illness
disease MESH rheumatoid arthritis
pathway KEGG Rheumatoid arthritis
drug DRUGBANK BK-MDA
disease IDO intervention
disease MESH heart disease

Original Article

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