Co-design of an oral health promotion animated film with families in the South of England

Introduction: Oral health promotion interventions should be evidence-based and designed with community involvement. In England, Family Hubs are attended by families from a range of social backgrounds and provide an ideal setting for co-design of health interventions.

Aim: To co-design and evaluate an animated film for promoting oral health in community settings.

Methods: Families attended two co-design workshops at a Family Hub in Portsmouth, during which they discussed oral health priorities and commented on the animation design. A before-and-after survey questionnaire assessed its impact on oral health knowledge in another Family Hub in Portsmouth. Qualitative data were analysed using the Framework method, while the survey data were analysed descriptively.

Results: Families prioritised evidence-based advice for inclusion in the film and contributed to the film storyline. This enabled relevant alterations to ensure the animation was engaging and age-appropriate. Although the survey response rate was low for inferential statistics, descriptive analysis indicated variation in the oral health knowledge of parents and carers.

Conclusion: Families can offer valuable contributions to the design of health promotion interventions. A co-design method provides an approach for communicating health advice in a form that is relevant and applicable to target audiences.