Lifestyle factors and behaviours are adopted very early in life and tend to persist throughout life. Considering that the parents are the primary gatekeepers for their child’s health, there is a need to gain more knowledge and deeper understanding about what causes parents to act and react in order for early preventive efforts to have any effect. The aim was to explore the parental views and considerations concerning ‘child health’ among parents with infants 8–10 months old. The sample was strategic and 16 parents (aged 23–41) were recruited from three child health centres in Sweden. Open-ended interviews were conducted and a qualitative, manifest content analysis approach was utilized. The parents described the subject ‘child health’ as a large, multifaceted concept. Three categories emerged during data analysis: developing a sixth sense, being affected by perceptions and believing health and ill health as a continuum. The parents perceived food and feeding issues as one of the most worrying aspects and a significant indicator of ‘child health’. In order to meet the parents on their turf, the ‘healthy health message’ conveyed needs to take the parental perspective into consideration rather than attempting to educate the parents from predetermined assumption, belief and values. © The Author(s) 2017
According to the United Nation’s Convention of the Rights of the Child, children have the right to participate in their own healthcare and make their opinions heard. The aim of this study was thus to explore the impact of using an eHealth service, Sisom, to gain the children’s perspectives during their healthcare appointments. Data were gathered through individual interviews with a purposeful sample of 16 children, aged 6–13 years old, treated for different diseases and using the eHealth service, Sisom, during their healthcare appointments. The interviews were analysed using a constructivist grounded theory. The results showed that using Sisom made children’s voice heard by creating a communication space in the healthcare setting. This meant that the children got involved in the communication, were acknowledged as an important person who could give the answers to questions and were given time. Implementing the use of Sisom is a way to make children’s needs and preferences explicitly visible for decision-making in practice and thereby supporting the further development of child-centred care in practice. © The Author(s) 2020.