Drawing on the concepts of the cosmopolitan person and democratic health education, this article explores the merits of primary school–based, cross-cultural dialogues for global health education.
Design:
A qualitative study of the learning outcomes of the Move|Eat|Learn (MEL) project. MEL facilitates cultural meetings, primarily Skype-based, between students from Kenya and Denmark, with the aim of promoting reflection on differences and similarities in everyday living conditions and their impact on health practices.
Setting:
Three Danish and one Kenyan primary schools.
Methods:
Qualitative analysis of 18 focus group discussions with 72 Danish and 36 Kenyan students.
Results:
Cross-cultural dialogues promoted students’ engagement and reflections on their own and peers’ health condition, access to education, food cultures, gender and family structures.
Conclusion:
Findings indicate the merits of cross-cultural dialogues as a means of educating students to become global health agents with a cosmopolitan outlook.
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