Co-Creation of Digital Health Interventions with Children: Initial Results of the Multi-Country Workshop in the BIOSTREAMS Project

Poster

LBP3.05: Co-Creation of Digital Health Interventions with Children: Initial Results of the Multi-Country Workshop in the BIOSTREAMS Project

Mlakar, I.¹; Smrke, U.¹; Rehberger, A.¹; Charmandari, E.²; Kassari, P.²; Karachaliou, A.³; Bigec, M.⁴; Bander, A.⁵; Langlet, B.⁶; Gernay, C.⁷; Jiang, Z.⁸; Martello, G.⁹; Hansov, S.¹⁰; Panagiotidou, M.¹¹; Kakkos, I.¹²; Anastasiou, A.¹²; Salamon, E.¹³; Doran, R.¹⁴; Anjos, S.¹⁵; Lambrou, D.¹⁶; Ciudin, A.¹⁷; Georga, E. I. I.¹⁸; Fotiadis, D. I. I.¹⁹; Prasinos, M.²⁰

¹University of Maribor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
²Center for the Prevention and Management of Overweight and Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
³Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences and Education, Harokopio University of Athens
⁴University Division of Pediatrics, University Medical Centre Maribor
⁵Danish Committee for Health Education
⁶Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet
⁷Department of Pediatrics, CHU of Liege
⁸Department of Information System Management, CHU of Liege
⁹MARTEL GmbH
¹⁰Blocks Health and Social Care
¹¹AINIGMA Technologies
¹²Institute of Communications and Computer Systems
¹³European School Heads Association
¹⁴NUCLIO
¹⁵ICS
¹⁶Penteli Children’s Hospital
¹⁷VHIR – Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research
¹⁸Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, Dept. Of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina
¹⁹Biomedical Research Institute, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas, Ioannina
²⁰Telematic Medical Applications

Background: Digital health interventions show promise in preventing childhood obesity, yet their effectiveness depends heavily on understanding and incorporating users’ values and preferences. Limited research exists on value-sensitive design approaches incorporating children’s perspectives across different European contexts.

Objective: To identify key values, preferences, and requirements of children for digital health interventions. These findings will directly inform the design of BIO-STREAMS digital solutions and guide the design and implementation of BIO-STREAMS prospective studies aimed at childhood obesity prevention.

Methods: Structured workshops with children (aged 8 to 18 ) in educational and clinical settings, in Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Portugal. We are using participatory design methods including presentations, demonstrations, mockups, group discussions, and interactive activities to explore children’s perspectives on healthy lifestyles, digital learning preferences, and engagement requirements. Data is analyzed using thematic analysis approach.

Results: Workshops included 23 children from clinical (still ongoing) and 181 from educational settings. Initial findings show setting-specific differences: children in clinical settings prioritized health tracking and structured approaches, while those in educational settings favored social interaction. Age-specific patterns emerged from play-based learning in younger children (<8y) to complex digital engagement in adolescents (14-18y). Overall, key requirements include age-adaptive interfaces. These should progress from visual/play-based to social/autonomous features, balancing individual health tracking with social engagement. All interventions and interfaces should incorporate interactive elements, cultural sensitivity, achievement systems, flexible parental controls, and privacy features.

Conclusions: Initial findings emphasize the need for age-specific customization in digital health interventions and balance between digital and in-person interaction. Effective interventions should include social features, cultural sensitivity, and age-appropriate achievement systems with contextual flexibility. These insights can inform the design of more engaging and sustainable childhood obesity prevention programs.The results of workshops have already be used to inform the design of BIO-STREAMS digital interventions and can be used in the future for more engaging, long-term sustainable and more effective childhood obesity prevention programs.

Funding: This work has been funded by the European Union Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Programme project BIO-STREAMS (grant number 101080718), Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), and the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency, Advanced Methods of Interaction in Telecommunication research programme (grant number P2-0069).

The content of this works does not reflect the official position of the European Union or any other institution. The information and views expressed are the sole responsibility of the authors.

Conference Proceedings / Obesity Facts 2025, Vol. 18, Suppl. 1 2nd European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025), Malaga, Spain, May 11-14, 2025: Abstracts