Youth advisory boards: a scoping review of characteristics, youth engagement activities and role in inclusive research

Youth Advisory Boards (YABs) are increasingly used to engage young people in youth-related research internationally, yet it is unclear as to whether they constitute inclusive research by engaging youth with disabilities. A scoping review of studies employing YABs was conducted, guided by a rights-based conceptual framework identifying four activities that meaningfully engage youth in research: decision-making, training/education, participatory methods, and authoring/dissemination of outcomes. Analysis of 61 articles revealed the disciplinary fields, composition and engagement activities of 48 unique YABs, and how commonly they facilitated inclusive research. The majority of studies were located in health research, and to some extent, social work and the social sciences. A small number recommended YABs include youth with disabilities, yet only three articles reported YABs that included them in exclusively disability-focused research. This finding represents an opportunity to expand YAB membership to include youth with disabilities in research about issues that matter to all youth.