Table 3 Subsystem 4 regarding the wider socioeconomic environment: mechanisms, leverage points and action ideas

(M3) The role of parents during adolescence

Parents undergo a new role from a managerial to a more coaching role of their children in the transition from child to adolescent. Because of this, they may find it difficult to set, monitor and enforce rules regarding sleep, dietary behaviour, screen behaviour and physical activity. Adolescents have difficulties making sensible choices regarding bed time and screen use in the evenings and indicate that they need their parents to set rules

(LP4) Parents can set, monitor and enforce rules regarding sleep, dietary, screen and physical activity behaviour

4 – Feedback and delay

(A6) Rules Rule

Workshop in which parents who serve as health ambassadors in the neighbourhood learn about parenting skills from a professional and from each other and how to set and enforce rules. The insights gathered during the workshop will be transferred to short vlogs which will be disseminated to other parents

Health ambassadors indicated that they need more information about setting and enforcing rules to disseminate to other parents. By educating health ambassadors about parenting skills around healthy behaviours, they will share this knowledge with fellow parents in the neighbourhood and contribute to structurally set and enforce rules that support healthy behaviours

Social welfare organizations focused on helping community members to actively participate in society and receive community support

(M4) Livelihood security and poverty

When families live in relative poverty, the problems and stress they experience may occupy parents’ headspace. As a result, they often pay less attention to stimulating healthy behaviours in their children

(LP5) Health is included as an important topic in policies that relate to social security

2 – Goals

(A7) Connecting health and livelihood security

Investigate the possibilities to connect the three policy areas of the municipality that address livelihood security: household income, housing and health

Integrating household income, housing and health in policies that aim to improve social security may offer a more effective approach to diminish the number of families living in poverty and thereby contribute to better living conditions and healthier behaviours for adolescents

N.A.

(M5) Connection between health ambassadors (volunteers), municipality and community organizations

In the LIKE focus area, community health ambassadors, who are mostly parents, play an important role in stimulating local residents (such as fellow parents) towards developing healthier habits. However, the support that health ambassadors receive from the municipality and community organizations does not sufficiently match their wishes and expectations. This results in less and less health ambassadors committing to influencing local residents towards a healthier lifestyle

(LP6) Improve the commitment of health ambassadors to influence local residents towards a healthy lifestyle

5 – Structural elements

(A8) Interviews with health ambassadors about their role

Interview health ambassadors about their experiences, needs and wishes related to their role as health ambassadors. Next, write a recommendation to the municipality and community organizations about the optimal support of health ambassadors

By gaining insight into the differences in perspectives between health ambassadors and community organizations, these insights can be implemented in practice, thereby improving the support health ambassadors receive

Social welfare organizations focused on helping community members to actively participate in society and receive community support

(M6) Match between local health promotion activities and parents’ needs

In the LIKE focus area, there are many health promotion activities organized for parents. However, there is a mismatch between the content and type of such activities and the needs and wishes of parents

Because of this, professionals organizing these activities and parents attending such activities have problems in communicating and understanding each other. This in turn can lead to demotivation, misunderstanding and uncertainty among both parents and professionals organizing the health promotion activities, thereby forming a barrier to the promotion of a healthier lifestyle

(LP7) Local health promotion activities meet parents’ needs

4 – Feedback and delay

(A9) Case study health promotion activity called ‘parenting debates’

Conduct interviews with participants, debate leaders and project designers of the parenting debates that are organized by a community organization and focus on creating a healthy lifestyle for families

Some parents, especially fathers, may be difficult to reach by interventions that aim to improve parenting skills around a healthy lifestyle. By gaining insights about an intervention offered by a community organization that organizes group discussions and is able to successfully reach fathers, these insights can be used to engage these parents in other interventions and programmes that also aim to encourage a healthier lifestyle

Community organization that organizes parenting debates;

youth healthcare services