{"id":1312,"date":"2026-08-30T22:54:50","date_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/?p=1312"},"modified":"2026-08-30T22:54:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-30T12:54:50","slug":"cvc2026-604","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/cvc2026-604\/","title":{"rendered":"CVC2026-604 \u2013 Children\u2019s insights about health and healthcare can advance health equity for children with disabilities across the world"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cvc-hero alignfull\">\n  <span class=\"cvc-chip\">Presentation \u2013 CVC2026-604<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Children\u2019s insights about health and healthcare can advance health equity for children with disabilities across the world<\/h1>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"cvc-authors\">\n<p><strong>Sharynne McLeod, <\/strong>Children\u2019s Voices Centre,<strong> <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Carolyn Gregoric,<\/strong> Children\u2019s Voices Centre,<strong> <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Helen L. Blake, <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Belinda Downey, <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kathy Cologon,<\/strong> Children\u2019s Voices Centre,<strong> <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Katharine Freire, <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tamara Cumming, <\/strong>Children\u2019s Voices Centre,<strong> <\/strong>Charles Sturt University, Australia<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kathryn Crowe, <\/strong>University of Iceland, Iceland<\/p>\n<p><strong>M\u00e9lanie Gr\u00e9aux<\/strong>, World Health Organization, Switzerland<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container \" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"CVC2026-604 Children\u2019s insights about health and healthcare can advance health equity for children\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zVlFM1NbzcU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n<p><strong>Background:\u00a0<\/strong>This research was informed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to promote children\u2019s health (Articles 23, 24, 25) and children\u2019s communication rights to receive and impart information and ideas regardless of frontiers (Articles 12, 13).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim:<\/strong>\u00a0The aim of this study was to undertake research to understand children\u2019s perspectives about health and access to healthcare, particularly for children with disabilities. Child-focused participatory action research was employed where children co-created the research, were research participants, and analysed the research.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Method:<\/strong>\u00a0Institutional ethical approval, parent consent, and child assent were obtained.<\/p>\n<p>(a) 24 children co-designed the following questions: &quot;What makes you healthy?&quot; &quot;Who helps you be healthy?&quot; &quot;Where do you go to get healthier?&quot; &quot;What would your ideal hospital or health service look like?&quot;<\/p>\n<p>(b) 126 artworks were submitted by children from 18 countries, including 60 drawings by children with disabilities or health conditions.<\/p>\n<p>(c) Eight children analysed the artwork to generate themes about children\u2019s health and healthcare.<\/p>\n<p>(d) Eight children created an advocacy presentation<\/p>\n<p><strong>Results\/findings<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> Children (n=126), including those with disabilities, felt happy about their health (82.54%) and healthcare (72.22%). Having a healthy body and mind involved: \u201cfood, friends, doctors, rainbows, hospitals, abilities, workout and sports, energy, and stuff\u201d. Children with disabilities focused more on hospitals and doctors and were less likely to include friends, grandparents, animals, nature, supermarkets, and vegetable gardens to keep them healthy. The co-researchers indicated they had been given space, voice, audience, and influence.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion:<\/strong>\u00a0Three areas of policy action were proposed at World Health Organization meetings in Geneva and Fiji: (a) Promote child-friendly practices across healthcare, (b) Enable co-creation of child-friendly services and environments with children with disabilities and families, (c) Train healthcare workers in communication strategies that are appropriate to different ages and capacities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for children\u00a0and families:<\/strong>\u00a0Children\u2019s artworks and insights can be viewed in the Children Draw Health Global Online Galleries: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csu.edu.au\/research\/childrens-voices-centre\/research\/childrens-voices\">https:\/\/www.csu.edu.au\/research\/childrens-voices-centre\/research\/childrens-voices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Implications for practitioners:<\/strong>\u00a0Children can contribute expertise to the development and implementation of policies and practices relating to healthcare.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Funding<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong> This research was supported by Charles Sturt University\u2019s Children\u2019s Voices Centre<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Keywords<\/strong>:\u00a0health, children\u2019s voice, children\u2019s advisory group<strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>This presentation relates to the following\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\"><strong>United Nations Sustainable Development Goals<\/strong><\/a><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul class=\"cvc-sdgs\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal3\">SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal10\">SDG 10: Reduced Inequality<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals\/goal17\">SDG 17:\u00a0Partnerships\u00a0to Achieve the Goals\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Rahda (9 years), from Australia, drew this picture for our Children Draw Health Global Online Gallery and said: \u201cMy mum giving me an apple.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sharynne McLeod, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Carolyn Gregoric, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Helen L. Blake, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Belinda Downey, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Kathy Cologon, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Katharine Freire, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Tamara Cumming, Children\u2019s Voices Centre, Charles Sturt University, Australia; Kathryn Crowe, University of Iceland, Iceland; M\u00e9lanie Gr\u00e9aux, World Health Organization, Switzerland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,52,1],"tags":[45,47,48],"class_list":["post-1312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-childrens-health-and-disability","category-childrens-rights-voices-and-perspectives","category-presentations","tag-sdg-03","tag-sdg-10","tag-sdg-17"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1577,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1312\/revisions\/1577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/childrensvoicesconference.csu.domains\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}