It Starts with a Conversation: The Importance of Values as Building Blocks of Engagement Strategies in Community-Centered Public Health Research.

Ewelina M Swierad,Terry T.-K Huang

doi:10.3390/ijerph18062940

Abstract

This study examined the life-motivating values of residents in underserved minority communities to inform the development of community engagement strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the main research questions: (1) what were the values of research participants, and (2) what did they consider important in their lives? The participants included twenty-seven ethnically diverse individuals living in low-income neighborhoods in New York City (NYC). Thematic analysis was performed to identify common themes and patterns related to the values that participants considered important in their lives. Three broad themes were identified: (1) benevolence; (2) universalism, and (3) self-direction. Benevolence implies a sense of belonging as the central meaning in life; community engagement strategies focused on this value emphasize concern for the welfare of loved ones. Community engagement strategies focused on universalism emphasize social justice and concern for the environment and the world. Finally, community engagement strategies focused on self-direction seek to satisfy participants’ needs for control, autonomy, and mastery. This study introduces the Value-Based Framework for Community-Centered Research. It illustrates how value exploration is central to a community-centered approach to public health research and can be an important first step for designing studies that are better aligned with community needs and contexts. Such an approach can also help to co-create a “research identity” with community members and integrate their values into a project’s purpose, thereby increasing community ownership and engagement in the study.

Highlights

Community engagement is a process that is increasingly seen as crucial in the development and implementation of effective health interventions designed to address the needs of culturally diverse communities [1,2]
Research suggests that values are building blocks of accountability, trust, reciprocity, respect, solidarity, and collaboration in community health research; researchers highlight the importance of understanding community values to better engage research participants and provide support and capacity-building for greater equity and justice [3]
These values were critical for participants in the context of engaging in research; identifying and exploring these values represented the first step in community-centered research

Summary

Introduction

Community engagement is a process that is increasingly seen as crucial in the development and implementation of effective health interventions designed to address the needs of culturally diverse communities [1,2]. Research suggests that values are building blocks of accountability, trust, reciprocity, respect, solidarity, and collaboration in community health research; researchers highlight the importance of understanding community values to better engage research participants and provide support and capacity-building for greater equity and justice [3]. Community engagement has mostly focused on community input into the development of public health interventions, with an eye toward tailoring messages and disseminating findings among stakeholders [4]. Effective and streamlined strategies, mechanisms, and specific steps to enhance this process remain.

Results

Discussion

Conclusion