The University of Sheffield
The School of Nursing and Midwifery

Research: Children, Young People and Families

Caring for children scene

This research theme is concerned with exploring and theorising key issues of relevance to the health and well-being of children, young people and families with a view to generating and disseminating evidence to providers of health and social care.

Research summary and principal aims

Research within this theme reflects a commitment to the importance of the inclusion of the `voice´ of children and young people in research and theoretical development in the area of health and social care. Research therefore seeks to understand the perspectives of children and young people as well as those of adults and other family members to further understanding of health related issues. Much of the work undertaken within this theme is interdisciplinary. The theme benefits from strong research links with the Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth, the Department of Sociological Studies and the School of Health and Related Research.

Visit the Centre for the Study of Childhood and Youth website

Identity and risk
One strand within the theme is concerned with identity and risk, relating in particular to obesity and to sexual health. Research has contributed to the development of knowledge in relation to children´s and young people´s experiences of being obese and the association between obesity and social exclusion. In order to further understanding of the family context within which childhood obesity may develop, a context critical to the success of obesity intervention, research interest has extended to include the parents of children with obesity.

This research was awarded the 2007 David Kennedy Memorial prize for research by The Obesity Awareness and Solutions Trust (TOAST). The focus upon childhood obesity is located within broader concerns about children´s and young people´s health risk behaviours, including their eating practices. Work is also examining the influences upon children´s food related understandings and how understandings are negotiated within the family to influence eating practices. From a sexual health perspective, work has examined discourses around young people and sexual risk taking behaviour and the discursive construction of contraceptive use amongst young women. Research has also explored embodied aspects of contraceptive use.

Care contexts
A second strand within this theme focuses upon care contexts. This strand is unified by a concern for how children, young people and families experience and interact with health, education and social care environments. As understandings of `family´ and particularly `healthy family´, may inform the work of practitioners in diverse care contexts, this has been one focus of activity.

Also within this strand is a concern for spatial aspects of care environments. A study funded by the ESRC has enabled children and young people to participate in research which explored their experiences of spatial aspects of hospitals and to inform the work of architects, planners and service providers in working towards more child friendly hospitals. Work exploring the relationship of clinic structures and practices upon contraceptive use and sexual behaviour has added to this strand. A study funded by the Neighbourhood Renewal programme examined the impact of sexual health clinics established within youth clubs upon young peoples´ sexual behaviour and attitudes.

Key projects

Key publications

Green, T Owen, J Curtis, P Smith G Fisher, P & Ward P. (2009) `Making Healthy Families?´ in P Jackson (Ed) Changing Families, Changing Food. London Palgrave Macmillan (in Press)

Curtis, P James, K & Ellis, K (2009) `She´s got a really good attitude to healthy food… Nannan´s drilled it into her´ - Intergenerational Relations within Families in `Making Healthy Families?´ in P Jackson (Ed) Changing Families, Changing Food. London Palgrave Macmillan (in Press)

James, A Curtis, P Ellis, K (2009) Negotiating family, negotiating food: children as family participants? In A James, AT Kjørholt & V Tingstad & (Eds) Children, Food and Family Life, London, Palgrave (in Press)

Curtis, P Ellis, K & James, A (2009) Fathering through food: children´s perceptions of fathers´ contributions to family food practices In A James, AT Kjørholt & V Tingstad & (Eds) Children, Food and Family Life, London, Palgrave (in Press)

James, A. Curtis P. and Birch, J. (2008) Care and Control in the Construction of Children´s Citizenship. In Antonella Invernizzi and Jane Williams (Eds), Children and Citizenship.Sage. London.

Curtis, P (2008) The experiences of young people with obesity in secondary school: some implications for the healthy school agenda. Health and Social Care in the Community 16(4) 410-18

Birch, J, Curtis, P. and James, A. (2007) Sense and Sensibilities: In Search of the Child-Friendly Hospital. Built Environment 33:4 405-416

Curtis, P. Woodhill, R. Stapleton, H. (2007) The peer-professional interface in a community-based breast feeding peer-support project. Midwifery 23: 146-156

Research briefing CFP

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/familiesandfood/projects/childrenasfamily.html

Research briefing MHF

http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/familiesandfood/projects/makinghealthy.html

Curtis, P. Stapleton, H. Wilson, F. (2008) "We´ve been through the battles" Parents´ accounts of living with a child with obesity. Getting Research Into Practice (GRIP) report. (ISBN 1-902411-50-1)

Key distinctions and achievements

Recent conference presentations

Curtis, P. Stapleton, H. (2008) "Knowing what you should and shouldn't eat ... It's not that simple" Parents' experiences of parenting a child with obesity. Sheffield Health and Social Research Consortium, 'Tackling child and adult obesity in Sheffield: Evidence, policy and practice.' November. Sheffield

Allison James, Penny Curtis, Katie Ellis, Jasmine Kapoor (2008) Children as family participants. Changing Families, Changing Foods Programme Conference. The British Library, October. London.

Curtis, P. Owen, J. Smith, G. Ward, P. Fisher, P. Green, P. Making healthy families. Changing Families, Changing Foods Programme Conference. The British Library, October. London.

Curtis, P. Ellis, K. James, A. (2008) Fathering through food: children´s perceptions of fathers´ contributions to family food practices. ISA Research Committee on Family Research: Family Diversity and Gender, Lisbon, September, Portugal.

Green, P. Curtis, P. Owen, J. (2008) "It goes a bit deeper than just cooking‟: public health, private lives, new spaces. BSA Medical Sociology Group 40th Anniversary Conference, University of Sussex, September. Brighton.

Green, P. Curtis, P. Owen, J. Smith, G. and Ward, P (2008) Private Practices in Public Places: Pursuing Public Health through Healthy-Eating Interventions. Poster presentation. Population Health Congress, July. Brisbane, Australia

Curtis, P, James, A., Ellis, K. (2008) "We don´t let my dad cook": negotiating gender and generation through family food practices. Centre for the Study Of Childhood and Youth 2nd International Conference. Re-Presenting Childhood and Youth. July 8th – 10th. Sheffield

James, A. Curtis, P (2008) "Some families do have `em"…..: Constructing ourselves and other families through parenting practices. Displaying Families conference, University of Hull, January, Hull

Ellis, K James, A Curtis, P Kapoor, J (2007) Children´s negotiation of family food practices. Changing Families, Changing Food Programme, Mid-Term Conference (21-22 May). Sheffield.

Curtis, P. Fisher, P. Owen, J. Smith, G. Ward, P. (2007) Making Healthy Families? Changing Families, Changing Food Programme, Mid-Term Conference (21-22 May). Sheffield.

People

Each person´s name links through to their personal profile where available.

Postgraduate Researchers