The think‐in‐pictures project

The ‘think-in-pictures’ project, carried out by Mansfield and Ashfield PCTs, involved a method of engaging young people with health discussion in a way that did not rely on traditional methods of consultation, such as interviews or questionnaires. It utilized photographic images, taken by local young people themselves, of the things that they felt impacted strongly on their lives. The young people involved made comments and observations about these images and the thought processes that accompanied the photographs. The photographs were mounted and formed the basis of focus groups in which the young people who took the photographs, and others, discussed the impact on their lives of the things that were captured on film. This method of engaging young people helped the PCT construct a picture of what young people themselves feel impacts most strongly on their health and so helped the PCT in thinking about health delivery and health promotion for young people. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.