Evaluation Of Community Engagement Research Articles

Evaluation of Community Participation in Community-Based Drinking Water and Sanitation Programs

The availability of clean water plays a significant role in fulfilling the need for drinking water and sanitation, which are absolute necessities in human life. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to reduce the proportion of the population without access to safe and sustainable drinking water and basic facilities by half. Access to clean water and sanitation facilities is still tricky in some areas, triggering the implementation of the PAMSIMAS Program. Community involvement is critical to the program's sustainability. This study analyzes the forms and factors supporting and hindering community participation in the PAMSIMAS Program and the environmental benefits of areas that receive the program in Rantau Jaya Ilir village. Central Lampung Regency. This study employs a descriptive qualitative approach, incorporating a SWOT analysis. Planning for community participation in the PAMSIMAS Program is underway. The study shows that community participation can adequately manage the program and meet water needs. Age, gender, level of education, type of work, income, and knowledge are all internal factors. Government policies and regulations play a crucial role as external factors. Based on the research, stakeholders were told to invite the community to each socialization meeting and give suggestions. This way of developing the PAMSIMAS Program community empowerment can be copied and used to create infrastructure development programs in other places. This will help the regional government even more, and the government program for drinking water infrastructure and sanitation is expected to continue and be sustainable so that the infrastructure is kept up and working.

Advancing shared accountability for meaningful community engagement with socially vulnerable communities: Lessons learned from COVID-19 health education and general outreach in an urban region.

As COVID-19 public health emergency measures come to an end, socially vulnerable communities have reduced access to resources that address social and health disparities created or exacerbated by the pandemic. Social workers must uphold access to healthcare as a human right in the post-pandemic era by reducing social vulnerability and strengthening community resilience to respond to future health emergencies and natural disasters. This paper draws on the experiences of a team of social work researchers, students, and practitioners engaged in efforts to disseminate information on COVID preventive measures and broker access to local health and social resources. This project, based in one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States, formed part of the federal research response to promote community engagement in regions most disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through participation in health fairs and community events that targeted persons with limited access to healthcare resources, we gathered critical insights on how to build community capacity for meaningful community engagement. Drawing on a conceptual model for evaluating community engagement strategies, we describe three main barriers to collaborative community outreach: weak organizational communication and coordination, inconsistent strategies for requesting on-site health services, and low neighborhood awareness of outreach events. We advance strategies for improvement that engage community-based organizations, health systems, backbone organizations, and community members in targeted activities to build community resilience. This includes inter-organizational communication during outreach event planning, formal processes to promote greater use of mobile health services, centralized event communication, and grassroots outreach event promotion.

An Analysis of Community Engagement in Higher Education: A Conceptual Exploration

This conceptual paper provides an overview of community engagement in higher education, highlighting its definition, goals, and various models of engagement. The paper explores the benefits and challenges of community engagement for both higher education institutions and communities, and presents strategies for designing and implementing effective community engagement initiatives. The authors also discuss methods for assessing community engagement outcomes and impact, as well as the challenges and limitations of evaluating community engagement initiatives. The paper concludes with a discussion of future directions and opportunities for community engagement in higher education, and the implications for research and practice. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive and informative review of community engagement in higher education, serving as a useful resource for academics, practitioners, and researchers interested in this important topic.

Preferences for Participation Measurement Among Individuals Diagnosed With Cancer: A Qualitative Content Analysis.

Individuals with cancer experience occupational participation restrictions, but there is no consensus on how to measure this construct. The objective of this study is to describe the perspectives and preferences of individuals with cancer regarding participation measurement. Forty individuals with brain, breast, colorectal, and lung cancer provided feedback on three participation measures in semi-structured interviews. Through an iterative, team-based content analysis approach, interview text was coded using the study codebook and organized into themes. Core themes included (a) participation measures highlighted occupational priorities, (b) measuring participation can identify supportive care needs, (c) measures must balance thoroughness with speed of completion, (d) measurement timeframe varies by treatment phase, and (e) evaluating community engagement is not a priority for some individuals with cancer. Integrating participation measures into cancer care can support referrals to occupational therapy and supportive services. It is essential to consider time since cancer diagnosis and client priorities when selecting participation measures.

Evaluation of Community Participation in Restoration Efforts Following the Merapi Volcano Eruptions in Muntilan, Magelang

Disasters due to the frequent eruptions of Mount Merapi have attracted great attention. For example, from the beginning of 2020 to June 21, 2020, 10 eruptions brought panic to the community. To avoid the unpreparedness of the community when a disaster occurs, the government and the private sector have provided programs to the victims. The program is running at the optimal planning and implication stage. However, in the next stage, programs that involve the active participation of affected communities run at a low level. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method to produce in-depth data from local government informants and community leaders who are victims of disasters and develop post-disaster reconstruction programs. Data collection techniques included in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation of appropriate and required data. The results of this study include, in Muntilan District, Magelang Regency, there has been a community recovery program in the form of post-disaster emergency assistance, as well as other economic recovery programs to restore life to normal. Initially, the handling of the community’s economic recovery program did not go as expected. Many aids were given directly to the community but were not useful due to obstacles in the field; The results of the evaluation of the level of community participation in Magelang Regency, in general, can be classified as very low in post-disaster development programs.
 Keywords: eruption, aid program, normal life, participation

Community engagement strengthens pig disease knowledge and passive surveillance in Timor-Leste.

Smallholder pig production in Timor-Leste is culturally and economically important for most households. However, regular and ongoing disease surveillance and pig husbandry training for farmers are limited. This article describes collaborative social and diagnostic research followed by a pilot community engagement program to improve farmer and technician knowledge, skills, and working relationships. There were three phases: (1) A qualitative study in 2020 to explore the experiences and knowledge of 133 pig farmers, 6 village leaders, and 16 district veterinary technicians on pig diseases and reporting, treatment methods, and access to information or assistance. (2) A pilot community engagement program in 3 villages in 2021 with the diagnostic investigation with samples analyzed from 27 dead pigs, and (3) Evaluation of community engagement and training outcomes. Results of the qualitative study revealed limited reporting of sick or dead pigs by farmers to veterinary technicians due to a lack of trust in the veterinary diagnostic system. Most technicians lacked experience with sampling or post-mortems so diagnostic training was undertaken for the pilot disease investigation. Evaluation results showed improved knowledge, motivation, and confidence of government staff and farmers. The credibility of veterinary technicians improved and gave them more confidence to work with communities. Farmers felt supported because all aspects of pig husbandry were addressed, and they were more willing to report dead or sick pigs. The project indicates that improved passive disease surveillance can be achieved by engaging communities in smallholder pig farming in Timor-Leste. Further research and testing of the approach in other districts and countries is recommended.

Community engagement in kidney research: Guatemalan experience

BackgroundCommunity engagement is essential for effective research when addressing issues important to both the community and researchers. Despite its effectiveness, there is limited published evidence concerning the evaluation of community engagement in research projects, especially in the area of nephrology.MethodsWe developed a community engagement program in Guatemala to address the role of hydration in chronic kidney disease of unknown origin, using five key engagement principles: 1. Local relevance and determinants of health. 2. Acknowledgment of the community. 3. Dissemination of findings and knowledge gained to all partners. 4. Usage of community partners’ input. 5. Involvement of a cyclical and iterative process in the pursuit of goals. The effectiveness of community engagement was measured by a structured questionnaire on a 5-point likert scale. This measure determined how well and how often the research team adhered to the five engagement principles. We assessed internal consistency for each set of the engagement items through Omega coefficient.ResultsSixty-two community leaders completed the questionnaire. Seventy-five percent were female, with a mean age of 37 years. All 5 engagement principles scored highly on the 5-point likert scale. Every item set corresponding to an engagement principles evaluation had a Omega coefficient > 0.80, indicating a firm internal consistency for all question groups on both qualitative and quantitative scales.ConclusionEngagement of the community in the kidney research provides sustainability of the efforts and facilitates the achievements of the goals. Community leaders and researchers became a team and develop a relationship in which commitment and empowerment facilitated the participation in all aspects of the research process. This initiative could be a useful tool for researchers, especially in low-middle income countries, to start research in a community, achieve objectives in a viable form, and open opportunities to further studies.

Evaluating Community Engagement Strategies to Manage Stigma in Two African Genomics Studies Involving People Living with Schizophrenia or Rheumatic Heart Disease.

In global health research and genomics research specifically, community engagement has gained prominence in enhancing ethical conduct, particularly in managing the risk of stigmatization, but there is minimal scientific evidence on how to do this effectively. This article reports on community engagement evaluation strategies in two African genomics studies: the Stigma in African Genomics Research study and the Genomics of Schizophrenia in South African Xhosa People (SAX) study. Within the Stigma in African Genomics Research study, a self-report rating scale and open-ended questions were used to track participant responses to an experiential theatre workshop. The workshop focused on participant experiences of living with schizophrenia or rheumatic heart disease (RHD). While the schizophrenia group reported more alienation and less stigma resistance than the RHD group, both groups demonstrated increased stigma resistance over time, after participating in the workshops. Hearing from others living with and managing the same illness normalised participants' own experiences and encouraged them. Within the SAX study, a short rating scale and qualitative feedback methods were used to evaluate a Mental Health Literacy Day targeting mental health stigma. Information talks about (i) the symptoms of schizophrenia and treatment options and (ii) the illness experiences of a patient in recovery were rated as the most helpful on the day. Audience members reported that these talks challenged negative perceptions about severe mental illness. Three important learnings emerged from these evaluations: firstly, integration of evaluation strategies at the research study planning phase is likely to promote more effective community engagement. Secondly, a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods that draw on simple descriptive statistics and thematic analysis can provide nuanced perspectives about the value of community engagement. Thirdly, such evidence is necessary in establishing and promoting the science of community engagement in genomics research and health research more broadly.

Exploring community engaged research experiences and preferences: a multi-level qualitative investigation

BackgroundCommunity engagement may make research more relevant, translatable, and sustainable, hence improving the possibility of reducing health disparities. The purpose of this study was to explore strategies for community engagement adopted by research teams and identify areas for enhancing engagement in future community engaged research.MethodsThe Community Engagement Program of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research hosted a forum to engage researchers and community partners in group discussion to reflect on their diverse past and current experiences in planning, implementing, and evaluating community engagement in health research. A total of 50 researchers, research staff, and community partners participated in five concurrent semi-structured group interviews and a whole group wrap-up session. Group interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using content analysis.ResultsFour themes with eight subthemes were identified. Main themes included: Community engagement is an ongoing and iterative process; Community partner roles must be well-defined and clearly communicated; Mutual trust and transparency are central to community engagement; and Measuring community outcomes is an evolving area. Relevant subthemes were: engaging community partners in various stages of research; mission-driven vs. “checking the box”; breadth and depth of engagement; roles of community partner; recruitment and selection of community partners; building trust; clear communication for transparency; and conflict in community engaged research.ConclusionThe findings highlight the benefits and challenges of community engaged research. Enhanced capacity building for community engagement, including training and communication tools for both community and researcher partners, are needed.

Monitoring and evaluation of university-community impact in driving transformation agenda

As part of the national transformation agenda, university-community impact is critical to HEIs for efficient delivery of community engagement (CE). Although CE is given due consideration in HEIs, there have been almost no attempts to develop evaluation tools that are useful for understanding the dynamics of engaging with communities at a micro and detailed level. HEIs tend to turn a blind eye on the micro dynamics of evaluating community engagement. Moreover, the tools for monitoring and evaluating CE are not standardized across all HEIs. This article reviews literature on monitoring and evaluation to draw conclusions and make recommendations. Findings of the literature review indicate that monitoring and evaluation remain a challenge in HEIs. As a recommendation, HEIs should be open to criticism regarding the quality of monitoring and evaluating CE and allow communities to evaluate them for improvements.

Evaluation of Community Participation and Fire and Rescue Sub-dept. In Fire Prevention Tanjung Priuk District

This study aims to determine the level of community participation in fire prevention and management in Tanjung Priuk Subdistrict, the City of Administration against Fire Disasters in North Jakarta, the theory used in this research is the opinion of M. Nuh Minister of Education in the era of President Bambang Yudhoyono in Climbing the Amstein ladder to organize an ideal participation. The research method used is a qualitative method to obtain key data from interviews with legitimate sources that are directly involved in fire prevention and management and are supported by data from field observations. The data is then analyzed by the triangulation process. To find out the level of community participation. The results showed that the level of participation in fire prevention in Tanjung Priuk District had a range of information, consultations and appointments. the training program, which is carried out as an annual program, is provided for the community to provide information one way. In the management process, the community is at the second level of the seventh stage because the community is already a partner in the fire department before the fire department arrives at the fire location, the community has tried to extinguish the fire independently. To increase community participation in fire prevention and management, the Fire Department of the North Jakarta City Administration Office must optimize human resources, as well as other fire management resources, to be able to act also to provide costs for Balakar (Voluntary Fire) every month.

At the root of participatory approaches: uncovering the role of accompaniment

ABSTRACTThis article examines the impact of a participatory development project in rural Uganda and offers explanations for the results obtained. Though successful in facilitating the creation of specific goods and services, the project did not fully realise its intended outcome: empowering local actors and generating lasting human development. These mixed results were the consequence of inconsistent dialogue and listening among the actors, often resulting in a lack of genuine accompaniment. In evaluating community engagement through the lens of accompaniment, the study considers the potential for participatory approaches to overcome often-asserted criticisms, namely the presence of dependency and elite capture.

Using theories of change to design monitoring and evaluation of community engagement in research: experiences from a research institute in Malawi

Background: Evaluation of community and public engagement in research is important to deepen understanding of how engagement works and to enhance its effectiveness. Theories of change have been recommended for evaluating community engagement, for their ability to make explicit intended outcomes and understandings of how engagement activities contribute to these outcomes. However, there are few documented examples of using theories of change for evaluation of engagement. This article reports experience of using theories of change to develop a framework for evaluating community engagement in research at a clinical research organisation in Malawi. We describe the steps used to develop theories of change, and the way theories of change were used to design data collection plans. Based on our experience, we reflect on the advantages and challenges of the theory of change approach. Methods: The theories of change and evaluation framework were developed through a series of workshops and meetings between engagement practitioners, monitoring and evaluation staff, and researchers. We first identified goals for engagement, then used 'so that' chains to clarify pathways and intermediate outcomes between engagement activities and goals. Further meetings were held to refine initial theories of change, identify priority information needs, and define feasible evaluation methods. Results: The theory of change approach had several benefits. In particular, it helped to construct an evaluation framework focused on relevant outcomes and not just activities. The process of reflecting on intended goals and pathways also helped staff to review the design of engagement activities. Challenges included practical considerations around time to consider evaluation plans among practitioners (a challenge for evaluation more generally regardless of method), and more fundamental difficulties related to identifying feasible and agreed outcomes. Conclusions: These experiences from Malawi provide lessons for other research organisations considering use of theories of change to support evaluation of community engagement.

Evaluation of Community Participation in the Development of Urban Settlement Case Study: City of Dili, East Timor

Evaluation of Community Participation in the Development of Urban Settlement Case Study: City of Dili, East Timor - written by Jose Agostinho Moniz , Purwanita Setijanti , Muhammad Faqih published on 2018/01/30 download full article with reference data and citations

The Evaluation of Community Participation in Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction Projects in Malaysia

This research focused on post-disaster planning with a particular reference to housing. The question is on what stakeholders must learn from the ineffective implementation of existing policies and approaches. Why this issue is never acted upon? However, policy implementation tends to forget the importance of accounting for community input, especially considering that the people affected will be the end users of the product of government services and the agencies involved. This research was divided into three phases. The first phase was the Literature Review Phase during which secondary sources were compiled, reviewed, comprehended, analyzed and finally synthesized to form a reference construct. Based on this related information, a theoretical framework for this study was developed along with a questionnaire form used for the research data collection. Afterward, the second phase was the quantitative interview phase and in the last phase is the data analysis phase. This research provides a thorough analysis of the views and perceptions of the focus group at Kuala Muda and Tanjong Tokong Tsunami Victims. The outcome of this research reveals the importance of ensuring that policy makers are responsive and have a grasp on current research findings, in particular on the subject of the status of policy implementation. The research outcomes can be used to develop strategies and actions that include raising awareness and building capacity for enhancing the enforcement of current legislation.

Evaluating Community Engagement and Benefit-Sharing Practices in Australian Wind Farm Development

The wind industry is positioned to contribute significantly to a clean energy future, yet the level of community opposition has at times led to unviable projects. Social acceptance is crucial and can be improved in part through better practice community engagement and benefit-sharing. This case study provides a “snapshot” of current community engagement and benefit-sharing practices for Australian wind farms, with a particular emphasis on practices found to be enhancing positive social outcomes in communities. Five methods were used to gather views on effective engagement and benefit-sharing: a literature review, interviews and a survey of the wind industry, a Delphi panel, and a review of community engagement plans. The overarching finding was that each community engagement and benefit-sharing initiative should be tailored to a community’s context, needs and expectations as informed by community involvement. This requires moving away from a “one size fits all” approach. This case study is relevant to wind developers, energy regulators, local communities and renewable energy-focused non-government organizations. It is applicable beyond Australia to all contexts where wind farm development has encountered conflicted societal acceptance responses.

An Evaluation of Community Engagement in Urban Service Provision, Kadoma City Health, 2016

An Evaluation of Community Engagement in Urban Service Provision, Kadoma City Health, 2016

Community Engagement in Academic Health Centers: A Model for Capturing and Advancing Our Successes

Community engagement (CE) has come to the forefront of academic health centers' (AHCs) work because of two recent trends: the shift from a more traditional 'treatment of disease' model of health care to a population health paradigm (Gourevitch, 2014), and increased calls from funding agencies to include CE in research activities (Bartlett, Barnes, & McIver, 2014). As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community engagement is "the process of working collaboratively with and through groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interest, or similar situations to address issues affecting the well-being of those people" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1997, p. 9). AHCs are increasingly called on to communicate details of their CE efforts to key stakeholders and to demonstrate their effectiveness. The population health paradigm values preventive care and widens the traditional purview of medicine to include social determinants of patients' health (Gourevitch, 2014). Thus, it has become increasingly important to join with communities in population health improvement efforts that address behavioral, social, and environmental determinants of health (Michener, et al., 2012; Aguilar-Gaxiola, et al., 2014; Blumenthal & Mayer, 1996). This CE can occur within multiple contexts in AHCs (Ahmed & Palermo, 2010; Kastor, 2011) including in education, clinical activities, research, health policy, and community service.

Measuring the Efficiency of Community Engagement

Evaluation of community engagement has historically avoided or ignored the question of the efficiency of the processes used. This paper suggests a way of measuring efficiency that is robust, quantifiable, straightforward to calculate and intelligible. Curiosity about a striking feature of two case studies led to the realisation that there are significant parallels between community engagement and theoretical ecology. Some of these parallels are briefly explored before the ecology analogy is used to construct a numerical measure of the efficiency of community engagement. Possible applications of the new measure are then discussed. An illustration of the method by which the new efficiency measure is computed is given in an appendix.

Evaluating community engagement in global health research: the need for metrics.

BackgroundCommunity engagement in research has gained momentum as an approach to improving research, to helping ensure that community concerns are taken into account, and to informing ethical decision-making when research is conducted in contexts of vulnerability. However, guidelines and scholarship regarding community engagement are arguably unsettled, making it difficult to implement and evaluate.DiscussionWe describe normative guidelines on community engagement that have been offered by national and international bodies in the context of HIV-related research, which set the stage for similar work in other health related research. Next, we review the scholarly literature regarding community engagement, outlining the diverse ethical goals ascribed to it. We then discuss practical guidelines that have been issued regarding community engagement. There is a lack of consensus regarding the ethical goals and approaches for community engagement, and an associated lack of indicators and metrics for evaluating success in achieving stated goals. To address these gaps we outline a framework for developing indicators for evaluating the contribution of community engagement to ethical goals in health research.SummaryThere is a critical need to enhance efforts in evaluating community engagement to ensure that the work on the ground reflects the intentions expressed in the guidelines, and to investigate the contribution of specific community engagement practices for making research responsive to community needs and concerns. Evaluation mechanisms should be built into community engagement practices to guide best practices in community engagement and their replication across diverse health research settings.