Advancing Youth Participation to Inform Equitable Health Policy Comment on “Between Rhetoric and Reality: Learnings From Youth Participation in the Adolescent and Youth Health Policy in South Africa”

Abstract

In their published study, Jacobs and George examine how youth participation was enabled to advance the Adolescent and Youth Health Policy (AYHP) in South Africa. Using an expanded and adapted conceptual framework of youth participation to inform their work, their findings center on the complexities of youth participation including enablers and the challenges experienced in the South African context. Building upon their foundational work, in this commentary we suggest further insights for consideration to advance youth participation to inform equitable health policies, including the inclusion of youth with intersecting identities and critical reflection to further advance the adapted conceptual framework.

Keywords: Youth Participation, Policy Development, Participatory Research, Action Research, Health, South Africa