About KidsPoll

KidsHealth KidsPoll is a collaboration among the Nemours Center for Children’s Health Media (creators of KidsHealth.org), the National Association of Health Education Centers (NAHEC), the Department of Health Education and Recreation at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC provides project researchers), and participating health education centers (HECs) throughout the country. Currently, 12 HECs participate in KidsPoll. The program is in its second year.

KidsPoll gives children a national platform to share their views on health-related issues that affect them. Recent issues surveyed through KidsPoll include alcohol use, worries, bullying and obesity. The program gathers data from children – the key stakeholders in HECs’ program development – on these issues through questions and answer selections that gauge their opinions, attitudes, and feelings, etc. The information is acquired through handheld data collection devices issued to children ages 9-13 during their visits to participating HECs. The data are electronically transferred to SIUC researchers for analysis then shared with educators, caregivers, healthcare organizations, the media and other interested organizations at both local and national levels.

The goal is to provide insightful information that will promote the development of programs to help children to make healthy life decisions, prevent injury and disease, and better understand their bodies. Moreover, KidsPoll data may well play a role in influencing the development of public policy concerning children’s health issues.

For more information about RLHEC’s involvement with KidsPoll, contact Diana Ruschhaupt at (317) 924-0904.