Community Engagement Practices Research Articles

Community engagement and policy making matrix: insights from Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa

Extant literature has addressed some components of community engagement with little or no connection with the dynamics of policymaking. Hence, the current paper explains the matrix of policy-making using the practice of community engagement with insights from Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa. It discusses the theories of community engagement in policy formulation at the local level. An empirical nature of community engagement and policy formulation is subject to analysis with particular reference to the Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa. Secondary data were sourced from the existing literature. The paper relies on the data suitability of extant studies. It reveals the policy-making matrix within the community engagement sphere. It therefore concludes that the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality should view community engagement in public policy formulation as a tool to increase the legitimacy, transparency, accountability, support, and responsiveness of a particular policy.

Community Engagement in Implementation Science: the Impact of Community Engagement Activities in the DECIPHeR Alliance.

The translation of evidence-based interventions into practice settings remains challenging. Implementation science aims to bridge the evidence-to-practice gap by understanding multilevel contexts and tailoring evidence-based interventions accordingly. Engaging community partners who possess timely, local knowledge is crucial for this process to be successful. The Disparities Elimination through Coordinated Interventions to Prevent and Control Heart and Lung Disease Risk (DECIPHeR) Alliance aims to address cardiopulmonary health disparities by engaging diverse community partners to improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions. The goal of the Community Engagement Subcommittee is to strengthen community engagement practice across DECIPHeR. This paper presents the subcommittee's "Why We Engage Communities" statement that outlines why community engagement is critical for implementation science. The paper also provides case examples of DECIPHeR community engagement activities. To develop the "Why We Engage Communities" statement, we conducted a literature review, surveyed subcommittee members to assess the importance of community engagement in their work, and integrated community partner feedback. We synthesize the findings into three key themes and present examples of community engagement activities and their impact across DECIPHeR projects. The statement presents three themes that illustrate why community engagement increases the impact of implementation and health equity research. Community engagement (1) engages local knowledge and expertise, (2) promotes authentic relationships, and (3) builds community and researcher capacity. The statement provides a guiding framework for strengthening DECIPHeR research and enhancing community partnerships. Community engagement can improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions across diverse settings, improving intervention effectiveness in underserved communities and furthering health equity.

Teaching Community Engagement Through an Anti-Racism Lens: Lessons Learned From a Pilot Micro Course in Public Health and Health Care

Growing appreciation of the necessity of, and evidence-based strategies for, working collaboratively with communities in health promotion and related fields have been well documented. Yet community engagement, the umbrella term for many of these efforts, is rarely taught as a standalone course, nor is a critical component of community engagement –antiracism practice—typically included. Following a review of the literature, we discuss the contexts, pedagogical grounding and strategies, learning objectives and piloting of a “micro course” on community engagement using an antiracism lens at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Designed for graduate students interested in community-based participatory research and practice but unable to take a full academic course in this area, the 30 hour pilot course drew a diverse mix of 16 students. Focused attention on racism, systematic racism, and antiracism practice was provided through lectures, in-class exercises, homework reflections, and the course final. Case-based examples of the critical role of antiracism practice in community engagement, particularly in and with BIPOC communities, were shared, and a range of strategies explored for building and maintaining cross-cultural partnerships and transforming our own institutions to better reflect antiracism practice. Challenges faced are highlighted, and lessons learned shared, including the imperative of creating, in both course planning and teaching, sharing our positionality and creating safe spaces for discussing any tensions that may arise.

Front Matter

Buletin Pengabdian: Bulletin of Community Services (Bull. Community. Serv.) is a scientific journal that publishes articles on research related to community engagement practices and processes, carried out by academia, government, private sector and industry. These manuscripts can originate from community service activities ("PENGMAS"), the student study service (Kuliah Kerja Nyata or KKN), technical guidance, models or concepts and or other implementations in order to increase community participation in development and community empowerment.Buletin Pengabdian is a peer-review process journal that has been registered and indexed by ISSN 2775-958X (print) and 2807-3975 (online), Directory of Open Access Journal (DOAJ), CAB Abstracts, EBSCO, Google Scholar, Dimensions, Member of Crossref (DOI), WorldCat, Garuda, Oulu University Library, and other scientific databases.Bull Community Serv is published by the Institute for Research and Community Services (LPPM) Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK) and is published periodically THREE times a year, April, August, and December. This journal is published through a peer-reviewed process by experts from various institutions and various fields of science.

The Society of General Internal Medicine's Recommendations to Improve LGBTQ + Health.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ +) individuals experience bias in healthcare with 1 in 6 LGBTQ + adults avoiding healthcare due to anticipated discrimination and overall report poorer health status compared to heterosexual and cisgendered peers. The Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) is a leading organization representing academic physicians and recognizes that significant physical and mental health inequities exist among LGBTQ + communities. As such, SGIM sees its role in improving LGBTQ + patient health through structural change, starting at the national policy level all the way to encouraging change in individual provider bias and personal actions. SGIM endorses a series of recommendations for policy priorities, research and data collection standards, and institutional policy changes as well as community engagement and individual practices to reduce bias and improve the well-being and health of LGBTQ + patients.

Sharing results with participants (and community) in malaria related research: Perspectives and experience from researchers.

Results-sharing with participants or their communities after the completion of research is an essential element of ethical research. The main objective of this study was to identify and document current practice of trial result dissemination, to explore attitudes among trialists towards result dissemination and to better understand previous experiences and barriers to returning results to participants. This mixed-methods study used a sequential exploratory design with two phases: i) an initial qualitative phase to explore the topic and to inform the quantitative data collection, ii) a quantitative survey. Findings from the survey and interviews were triangulated and presented to a network of clinical malaria researchers for validation. A total of 11 semi-structured interviews (SSIs) were conducted using an interview guide. The quantitative survey had a response rate of 19.9% (42/211). Disseminating results to participants after clinical trials was deemed critical for ethical malaria related research, with 38.1% indicating it as extremely important and 45.2% rating it as mostly important. Most respondents referred to the dissemination of results to policymakers and wider stakeholders as important aspects of research translation. The practice of patient or community engagement was prioritized in the pre-trial period and during the trial for obvious instrumental goals of improving retention, coverage and adherence, but much less priority was given to the post-trial period. The main reason for poor dissemination practice was the notion that the time lag between study participation and the availability of results was too long (42.4%). Other reasons included the assumption that the community was not interested (36.4%), and financial restraints (9.1%). The rich qualitative data revealed detailed accounts of operational, cultural, educational and economic aspects that pose further barriers to results-sharing, including limited knowledge about best practice. Better planning which includes adequate financial resourcing is required for meaningful dissemination of results to study participants. Improved institutional guidance and more stringent requirements by funders could support researchers who are generally interested and willing to complete the process. Best practice methods to conduct such dissemination remains to be explored.

Exploring the impacts of local development initiatives on tourism: A case study analysis

This study investigates the intricate relationship between local development initiatives and tourism, with a specific focus on their impacts. By utilizing input-output matrices and a survey-based vector of tourist expenditure, we calculate both direct and indirect effects using accounting multipliers. The study assesses the potential return on investment and the generation of future income resulting from a 2.3 million euros investment. Our findings illuminate the predominantly positive impacts of local development initiatives on tourism. We underscore the importance of strategic planning, community engagement, and sustainable practices in optimizing the benefits and addressing potential challenges associated with local development for tourism. While this research primarily emphasizes the positive aspects, it recognizes the need for a nuanced understanding of the multifaceted impacts. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationship between local development and tourism. The study's practical insights and recommendations are valuable for policymakers, local communities, and tourism stakeholders, guiding them toward adopting sustainable and inclusive development strategies that maximize the positive impacts of tourism.

A Review and Research Agenda for Brand Communities in Sports

Research on brand communities has burgeoned over the past 2 decades. Today many, if not most, sport organizations are entertaining dedicated brand communities. This article traces the development of community thinking in the field of sport management and marketing. Key articles on brand communities in leading journals in the field are identified, reviewed, and their core contributions distilled. By drawing on literature from adjacent fields, seven areas of future research are proposed: make or buy community, getting value from community, building a community capability, solving the community engagement puzzle, focusing on effective community engagement practices, analyzing the full community life cycle, and community for Web 3.0. The article provides a number of recommendations for future research on brand communities in sport management and marketing, enabling scholars to advance knowledge for both research and practice.

Community-Engaged Pedagogy in the Psychology Classroom: Shelter Dogs go to College

Background Community-engaged pedagogy has the potential to benefit both students and the community. Objective The purpose of this project was to design a new undergraduate psychology course according to recommended community-engaged practices and to explore learning outcomes associated with it. The Canine Learning and Behavior (CLB) course, taught by faculty and community co-educators, offered undergraduate psychology students the opportunity to train shelter dogs and write shelter-specific grant applications. Method Learning outcomes were assessed via course grades and self-evaluation questions for students enrolled in the CLB ( n = 21) and in a comparably challenging Sensation and Perception (SnP, n = 47) course, taught within the same semesters by the same faculty instructor. Results In comparison to participation in the SnP course, participation in the CLB course was associated with higher content comprehension, confidence in and familiarity with relevant skills (i.e., dog training and grant writing), as well as awareness of and sense of responsibility to the needs of the community. Conclusion The employment of community-engaged pedagogy can benefit various stakeholders, including students, the community, and in this specific case, shelter dogs. Teaching Implications This proof-of-concept study may encourage psychology educators to integrate community-engaged pedagogy into their curriculum.

FOSTERING CHANGE: EXPLORING MOTIVATING FACTORS IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AMONG NIGERIAN PROFESSORS

Investigates the driving forces behind community engagement practices among Nigerian professors. This study delves into the motivations that propel Nigerian professors to engage with communities, examining the factors influencing their participation, commitment, and impact. Through a qualitative exploration, this research aims to uncover the underlying drivers shaping community engagement initiatives among Nigerian professors and their implications for higher education and societal development. By shedding light on these motivating factors, this study offers insights into how academic institutions and policymakers can cultivate and support community engagement efforts among faculty members, fostering meaningful collaborations and positive social change.

Making Graduate Student CER Practices Visible: Navigating the Double-Binds of Identities, Space, and Time

In this dialogue, four recently commenced PhD students discuss and thus expound upon how their community-engaged research shaped their methodologies and vice versa. The four authors explain how they each individually overcame the double-binds of identities, space, and time associated with graduate school and community partnerships. They conclude by detailing how, in overcoming these double-binds, they were able to enact community-engaged practices not only tied to their respective methodologies but also focused on equity and social justice.

Beyond Finding Purpose: Motivating a Translational Science of Purpose Acquisition

A broad interest in finding purpose is understandable, as having purpose is situated in notions of “the good life” and is linked in studies to greater health and wellbeing. Yet, the empirical basis for whether purpose is truly findable is inadequate, lacking guidance from theories predicting behavioral capacities that drive its acquisition. If feeling purposeful is as favorable as studies suggest, then more transparent and precise explanations of how it is derived are needed; otherwise, the field risks illuminating this resource while leaving the pathways to it unlit. Here, I call for a translational science of purpose acquisition directed at gathering and disseminating evidence of the processes by which this sense can be cultivated. I introduce a minimal viable framework for integrating basic and applied investigations into purpose by bridging laboratory research, intervention and implementation efforts, community-engaged practices, and policies to accelerate testing and strategies for enhancing this salubrious sense in people’s lives.

The quest for diffusible community health worker projects and the pitfalls of scaling culture

ABSTRACT Researchers of community health worker (CHW) models in many countries are looking for ways to scale without losing one of their main advantages, their context-sensitivity. This paper looks at one research strategy to make CHW projects scalable, namely by developing a generic notion of culture-sensitivity. Based on in-depth qualitative analysis, we reconstruct how ‘culture’ has been enshrined in a US-based CHW project and specifically in the artefact of a binder with teaching materials for vulnerable mothers. The inscription of generalized, culture-sensitive spaces into the binder did allow the Project to comply with standards of evidence-based medicine while respecting community self-determination and made space for creative and competent CHW practices. Yet at the same time, it took away from more substantive conceptions of community engagement and from community empowerment through CHWs. Our analysis highlights how the focus on culture can invisibilise and displace the importance of competent CHW practice and processes of community engagement.

Creating the Current and Riding the Wave: Persistence and Change in Community-Engaged Health Sciences Research

Recent decades have seen considerable increases in funding and support for community-engaged research (CER) in the health sciences, including the introduction of community engagement requirements into federally funded research infrastructure programs. This paper asks why, despite these supports and incentives, even the best-intentioned researchers and research organizations may struggle to design, implement, and sustain successful community engagement strategies. This question is examined using an exploratory case study of an environmental health sciences research center whose strategies were influenced in part by a requirement by the funder to incorporate community engagement into its research activities. This study utilizes multiple sources of qualitative data collected between the research center’s second and fifth years of operation, including participant observation, interviews, and focus groups. The analysis employs an organizational perspective, yielding insights into the factors hindering and facilitating the development of practices that integrate community perspectives and control into academic structures. The findings point to an ongoing dialectic between support for innovative community engagement practices and persistence of conventional academic structures. We highlight the interconnected effects of environmental influences, organizational structures, and individual agency on the development of innovative community engagement practices. The implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Advancing Professional Development for Family, School and Community Engagement:

What follows is a transcript of a conversation that was focused on the new family engagement core competency recommendations from the National Association for Family, School, and Community Engagement (NAFSCE). While it is not new to see specific recommendations for family engagement emerge – generally, these recommendations tend to be prescriptive in nature, grounded in Euro-centric ideologies, and school-centered. NAFSCE, however, has created competencies that, instead of centering what parents and families ought to be doing, emphasize power sharing and the transformation of traditional family, school, and community engagement practices. In addition, NAFSCE’s work has implications for all family-facing professionals, not just teachers and school administrators. Beyond the core competencies, we learn in our conversation more about how NAFSCE’s work around family, school, and community engagement is grounded in social justice and equity. This is especially critical given the fast-moving anti-CRT and anti-LGBTQ policies being passed and proposed nationwide. We invite our readers to consider how we might leverage the work of NAFSCE to more authentically center families and communities within family, school, and community engagement.

Abstract PL03-05: Early Engagement Equals Early Detection

Abstract PL03-05: Early Engagement Equals Early Detection

The importance of community in public school success: Community engagement and high school performance in Florida

ABSTRACT This research examines whether extensive community engagement activities are associated with increased institutional-level public high-school performance controlling for contextual factors and any regional nesting effect. Analyzing community-level data for 302 traditional Florida public high schools, three multiple linear regression (MLR) analyses are performed for dependent variables representing standardized testing-related metrics (FCAT factors score), non-standardized testing-related metrics (Non-FCAT factors score), and adequate yearly progress (AYP). For each analysis, community-level socioeconomic factors are significantly associated with institutional-level performance, however county-level nesting effect only shows a small significant association with the FCAT factors score. Achieving the Florida Five Star School award, which recognizes a wide range of family and community engagement criteria, is found to have a significant positive association with both the FCAT factors score and Non-FCAT factors score, controlling for socioeconomic and other contextual factors. Despite no significant association found with the final performance indicator, AYP, the results suggest that intensive community engagement practices may improve institutional-level academic performance.

A Community-engaged Approach to Research Translation: The CIPHERS Project.

Translating research to support practice is becoming a more prominent goal in the scientific community. However, further innovation and research is needed on effective approaches to this endeavor. This case study describes an approach that combines the insights of diffusion of innovation theory with the philosophy and practices of community engagement. Elements of our approach included staged dissemination, iterative active engagement, multi-pronged and tailored messaging, use of networks, contextualization of study findings, and emergent strategy. Our work proceeded in five stages, from laying the groundwork to deepened partnership. Our experience illustrates the challenges and confirms the benefits of a community engaged, partnered, and non-linear approach to research translation aimed at improving public health.

Barriers and enablers of community engagement practices for the prevention of snakebite envenoming in South Asia: A qualitative exploratory study.

Snakebite envenoming (SBE) is a grossly neglected tropical disease (NTD) that predominantly affects those living in rural settings in low-and-middle income countries. South Asia currently accounts for the highest global SBE-related mortality, and substantial morbidity rates. To alleviate the high burden in the region, community engagement (CE) is considered to be an integral component for optimizing SBE prevention and control. To better understand existing CE practices for SBE in the region, the experiences of SBE-CE actors concerning the barriers to, and enablers of CE practices were captured through semi-structured interviews. Fifteen key informants from India, Bangladesh and Nepal participated in the study. Important enablers included providing innovative, inclusive and continuous methods and materials, carefully planning of programs, performing monitoring and evaluation, SBE data availability, motivated and trained staff members, good organizational reputations, communication with other SBE-actors, collaborations, and the involvement of the government. Substantial barriers comprised a lack of SBE data, lack of innovative methods and materials for educational purposes, a shortage of human and physical resources, community resistance, untrained health care workers (HCWs), and ineffective traditional healing practices. In order to optimize and sustain SBE-CE practices, context-sensitive, multi-faceted approaches are needed that incorporate all these factors which influence its sustainable implementation.

Reimagining Our Public Health Systems: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Commission to Transform Public Health Data Systems.

Reimagining Our Public Health Systems: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's National Commission to Transform Public Health Data Systems.