‘Show me what health means to you!’–Exploring children’s perspectives of health

School health promotion aims to empower children to gain control over and improve their health. In contrast to many health promotion activities in schools focussed on predefined health issues, giving children a voice to define their own health needs is in itself an empowering process. Utilising a photography methodology, this research aimed to capture children’s perspectives of health in a New Zealand primary school by giving them an active voice. This qualitative research inquiry included participant-generated photographs, individual interviews, and a focus group, with six participants aged 8-10 years of mixed gender. Results showed that children held a variety of health concepts, but centred on ‘healthy’ activities and food. Energy and fun were key motivators, and availability of ‘unhealthy’ food was the main barrier to being healthy. Teachers engaged in ‘healthy’ activities, and school policies prompted ‘healthy’ actions from participants. This research suggests that children are competent and knowledgeable in expressing their views, and can be involved in the development of school programmes and policies. This bottom-up research inquiry was consistent with a democratic, participatory approach in health promotion, with the children in this study feeling empowered to reflect on what health meant to them.