How can we ensure that every child, regardless of their background, gets a healthy start? This question is key in the podcast series ‘(Re)searching a Healthy Start’. The three-episode series explores the findings and challenges faced by inspiring scientists and expert practitioners who collaborate and conduct research to create a healthier future for children.

Podcast series: A closer look at diversity and health

The podcast series highlights the importance of diversity in health research and makes room for the voices of researchers, university lecturers, PhD candidates and field experts. In each episode themes are discussed like inequality in the health care sector, the influence of environmental factors on health, and the role of prevention. The discussions provide insight into how diversity in research can help improve a healthy start for children.

The episodes

In the first episode, we hear Reshmi Marhe and Laura van Duin who discuss youth crime and addiction and the ways to better understand and support the health development of young people in the Netherlands. The second episode features Lysanne te Brinke and Milene Gonçalves who discuss some insights from participatory research to stimulate youth participation. In the third episode we hear Yara Toenders and Wanda Tempelaar who focus on the mental well-being of young people and why integrating their experiences into research on treatments is crucial.

One of the central questions in the series is how research and policies can move beyond the idea of “average health” to address the specific health needs of different groups. The podcasts emphasizes that a good development for children’s health requires a collective effort from scientists, healthcare professionals and the society as a whole.

Conclusion and follow-up

The podcast series ‘(Re)searching a Healthy Start’ makes an accessible contribution to the conversation about research on a healthier future for all children. Not only the research itself but also the approach to it is essential in achieving effective and sustainable progress. The podcast series is used in education and serves as a spin-off series within the broader ‘(Re)Searching Diversity’ podcast‘.