Using photovoice to promote young migrants health : benefits and challenges with the method

• Background: Young migrants are a group that are seldom asked to share their experiences of health. More research focusing on an inside perspective on young migrants health is needed. Through photovoice, young people are given the opportunity to document and discuss their lives by using photography.Purpose of study: Illuminating experiences from collaborating with young migrants to promote health using photovoice, focusing on benefits and challenges with the method. Methods/Theory: The study was based on a social perspective on health. Photovoice was the chosen method inviting 28 young migrants in a municipality in northern Sweden aged 16-20 from 5 different countries to take pictures and discussing these with focus on experiences and conditions for health and how health can be promoted. The four step process: 1) Introduction, 2) Photographing session, 3) Workshops, and 4) Final presentation. Findings: Using photovoice with young migrants enabled insights into several aspects of the participants’ everyday life inside and outside the school context. The participants could identify health promotion factors but also health challenges in their everyday life. More important, it enabled conversations based on the participants' pictures of their lives rather than questions posed by the researcher. The study also revealed ethical challenges addressing power imbalance and how to reach social change, which is further discussed. Conclusion: We recommend using photovoice with young migrants as it proved to be a rich tool to promote critical thinking and discussions allowing self-reflection. However, more research is needed to discuss how to reach social change, the last step of the method. 

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Annan hälsovetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Other Health Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

health promotion

photovoice

social change

young migrants

Health Science

Hälsovetenskap

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)