Development and application of a framework for classifying stakeholder roles in co-creation research: a Health CASCADE study

Aim Given the diversity of stakeholder engagement in co-creation research and the absence of an operational classification of stakeholder roles, this study aimed to develop a classification framework for co-creator roles and demonstrate its practical application in classifying stakeholder engagement. Subject and methods To develop the co-creation roles framework, we searched Google Images and Google Scholar to identify concepts and frameworks relevant to co-creation roles. To demonstrate its application, we applied the framework to classify stakeholder roles in studies on youth co-creation in public health interventions. Studies were identified through a systematic review using four databases (OVID/Medline, Ebsco/APA PsycINFO, Ebsco/CINAHL, Elsevier/Scopus), following PRISMA guidelines and registering the protocol on PROSPERO (CRD42024628813). Results The Google Images and Google Scholar search yielded five articles addressing co-creation role elements such as ‘stages of co-creation’ and ‘stakeholder levels of engagement’. The systematic review included 39 articles describing n = 19 youth-focused public health projects underpinned by co-creation ( n = 9), youth participatory action research ( n = 7) or community-based participatory research ( n = 3), revealing stakeholder engagement at multiple levels. Conclusion This study presents an operational classification framework for describing co-creation roles among diverse stakeholders, providing a practical approach to improving transparency and comparability across co-creation research.