Incorporating Community Engagement Research Articles

Public engagement by early career researchers during the COVID-19 pandemic: case studies from East Africa.

Community engagement and involvement (CEI) in research usually depends on face-to-face interactions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented such interactions because of national lockdowns and social distancing. This paper highlights the ways in which early career researchers from East Africa tackled CEI activities during the pandemic. We provide four case examples that illustrate how early-career researchers based in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, deployed different approaches and initiatives to community-engaged research during the pandemic to encourage participation and uptake of research findings. All the three early-career researchers attempted to use virtual/digital means to implement the CEI. However, in each country, this attempt was unsuccessful because of poor connectivity, as well as many poorer students lacking access to telephones and computers. Nevertheless, the researchers effectively engaged the students using different activities (making up songs, drawing comics, and taking part in quizzes) once the schools reopened. These results highlight the complexity of implementing community engagement and involvement in health research when face-to-face interaction is not possible. The findings are relevant to researchers who wish to incorporate community engagement in their research and initiatives.

Preserving for the Future: The Critical Role of Germplasm Conservation in Fruit Crop Resilience

Germplasm conservation in fruit crops is indispensable for securing global food systems and safeguarding agricultural biodiversity. The conservation of genetic diversity within fruit crops is paramount, given the escalating threats posed by climate change, emerging diseases, and habitat loss. This review encapsulates the multifaceted challenges and innovative strategies in fruit crop germplasm conservation, emphasizing the integration of traditional knowledge and cutting-edge technologies. The proactive preservation of diverse varieties through in situ and ex situ methods is essential for developing resilient, adaptive fruit crops. Global collaboration and heightened public awareness play pivotal roles in overcoming financial constraints and ethical considerations. The future of germplasm conservation in fruit crops hinges on a holistic approach, incorporating community engagement, advanced technologies, and international cooperation to ensure sustainable agriculture and the resilience of these crops in the face of dynamic environmental challenges.

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.

Public engagement by early career researchers in East Africa during the COVID-19 pandemic: case studies from East Africa

Background: Community engagement and involvement (CEI) in research usually depends on face-to-face interactions. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented such interactions because of national lockdowns and social distancing. This paper highlights the ways in which early career researchers from East Africa tackled CEI activities during the pandemic. Methods: We provide four case examples that illustrate how early-career researchers based in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, deployed different approaches and initiatives to community-engaged research during the pandemic to encourage participation and uptake of research findings. Results: All the three early-career researchers attempted to use virtual/digital means to implement the CEI. However, in each country, this attempt was unsuccessful because of poor connectivity, as well as many poorer students lacking access to telephones and computers. Nevertheless, the researchers effectively engaged the students using different activities (making up songs, drawing comics, and taking part in quizzes) once the schools reopened. Conclusion: These results highlight the complexity of implementing community engagement and involvement in health research when face-to-face interaction is not possible. The findings are relevant to researchers who wish to incorporate community engagement in their research and initiatives.

The role of community participation in the spatial development of deteriorated residential areas Al-Imam neighborhood in the city of Nasiriyah: a case study

Iraqi cities in general face a slew of issues, including deterioration of the internal and external residential environment for some residential districts, deterioration of major infrastructure services, and bad economic, living, and construction conditions. As a result, the Ministry of Construction and Housing took the initiative, in collaboration with the Habitat Organization, to carry out a project to upgrade a number of deteriorated residential neighbourhoods, including Al-Imam neighbourhood in Nasiriyah, as a local experiment aimed at achieving spatial development with community participation. The research problem was established by not incorporating community engagement and activating the mechanisms of intrusion towards sustainable spatial development when conversing with residents as one of the strategies for creating and upgrading civilized places. The following hypothesis guided the research: Adoption of effective community participation policies aids in the rehabilitation of damaged residential areas and the achievement of long-term development. The study contained a theoretical component dealing with the notion of community participation and upgrading, as well as a practical component including the identification of the study area and the processes used in the process of upgrading community participation. The study also included a questionnaire for a random sample of residents to complete regarding the type of community participation in upgrading, and the study found that there is a larger need for a process of awareness, education, and training of people to participate in upgrading. Housing unit improvements were not at the required level due to a lack of funding and poor participation of residents in the construction and restoration process, and improvements to educational services were simple and included school frontispieces, green areas were not allocated, and infrastructure services were not established. The study came to a number of conclusions and recommendations regarding the need to rehabilitate human and material resources, stimulate community participation in the planning and management of residential areas, and achieve long-term spatial development.

Animal Control and Field Services Officers' Perspectives on Community Engagement: A Qualitative Phenomenology Study.

Very little is known about the prevalence, scope, and methods of community engagement employed by animal control and field services officers to address the issue of animal cruelty and neglect. This study used a phenomenological approach to understand how officers defined community engagement. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with twenty-nine animal control and field services officers. The definitions of community engagement varied greatly across this sample of U.S. officers. However, most officers agreed that strategies such as relationship-building, providing assistance or information, and allowing time for compliance were among the most effective community engagement strategies. In addition, several barriers to incorporating community engagement strategies in the work of animal control professionals were identified. Future research and policymaking should seek to establish a consistent definition of community engagement in animal control and field services that can then be optimized for specific communities through rigorous evaluation.

Rainwater Harvesting Systems in Urban Areas and the Potential Value of Incorporating Community Engagement

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) is a water catchment technique used in urban areas globally. RWH has a deep history rooted in indigenous practices and has recently become more accepted in urban areas. The quality and quantity of harvested water depends both on the geographical location of the system with respect to nearby land-use, seasonality, and rainfall intensity, as well as the material of the catchment surface. The economic viability of RWH systems is dependent on initial expenses, operation and maintenance costs, and water fees. Furthermore, government subsidies and clear, concise policy may improve water tank installation, usage, and maintenance. Policy may also help the general public install and use RWH systems through the promotion of education that improves RWH-specific knowledge. While community engagement (CE), stakeholder participation, and increased community knowledge of RWH may potentially yield increases in system use and sustainability, there is a general paucity of this research in peer-reviewed literature. Future studies should explore community engagement within the context of rainwater harvesting systems in urban areas.

Abstract PO-064: Health literacy as a tool to drive equitable action for lung cancer screening in high-risk communities

Abstract In the United States, communities at risk of developing lung cancer include rural populations, low socioeconomic status (SES) and the under-insured, immigrants, aged populations, racial and ethnic minority groups, and LGBTQIA communities. Many of these high-risk communities are diagnosed at much later stages than high SES whites. When lung cancer is detected early, survival rates are higher due to the possibility of curative surgery. Lung cancer screening (LCS) using low-density computed tomography (LDCT) has been recommended by the USPSTF since 2013. Guidelines for those who meet the USPSTF LCS criteria were expanded in 2021. A major barrier to accessing screening by vulnerable populations is the lack of health literate LCS education materials that can be used to engage and empower these groups and motivate them to seek screening. Research Question: How do we develop health literate (HL), culturally sensitive, and linguistically appropriate health information about LCS to high-risk communities and make them available through trusted community partners? Methods: A multi-phased approach that included material creation, testing, and dissemination was conceptualized by LUNGevity Foundation in partnership with Health Literacy Media (HLM) and a leading expert in accessible patient education. Using an IRB-approved protocol, the study team identified a representative population of persons (N=40 in 15 states) with online recruitment facilitated by NCI community cancer center outreach leaders in high-risk geographies. The participants gave extensive quantitative and qualitative feedback via virtual focus groups or in-depth interviews to obtain opinions and insights into how easily LUNGevity Foundation's Screening and Early Detection Booklet was understood. Revised materials were created using HL best practices, and re-tested with new community members to ensure acceptability, accessibility, and HL. Then, additional materials with relevant health topics were developed consistent with HL principles for extensive testing with communities. An additional 24 people in 11 states took part in 1 of 4, 1 ½ hour focus groups for final review. New HL lung cancer screening materials were made available to NCI community outreach leaders via LUNGevity Foundation's trusted national community engagement network. Results: The participants raised important insights about eligibility for and accessibility to screening. Based on their insights and recommendations, HLM transformed one large booklet into 4 fact sheets and 6 mini booklets. Final materials were disseminated to vulnerable populations via LUNGevity Foundation's trusted community engagement network. Conclusions: The feasibility of creating patient-centered health literate materials that also incorporate community engagement is established. Using LCS as an example, we were able to successfully create materials that were acceptable to high-risk communities. We recommend offering understandable and accessible information to all communities regardless of their literacy or education levels. Citation Format: Jeanne M. Regnante, Upal Basu Roy, Catina O'Leary, Linda M. Fleisher, Diane W. Webb, Linda Wenger, Andrea Ferris, Robert Winn. Health literacy as a tool to drive equitable action for lung cancer screening in high-risk communities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: 14th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2021 Oct 6-8. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-064.

Are we walking the talk of participatory Indigenous health research? A scoping review of the literature in Atlantic Canada.

Participatory research involving community engagement is considered the gold standard in Indigenous health research. However, it is sometimes unclear whether and how Indigenous communities are engaged in research that impacts them, and whether and how engagement is reported. Indigenous health research varies in its degree of community engagement from minimal involvement to being community-directed and led. Research led and directed by Indigenous communities can support reconciliation and reclamation in Canada and globally, however clearer reporting and understandings of community-led research is needed. This scoping review assesses (a) how and to what extent researchers are reporting community engagement in Indigenous health research in Atlantic Canada, and (b) what recommendations exist in the literature regarding participatory and community-led research. Eleven databases were searched using keywords for Indigeneity, geographic regions, health, and Indigenous communities in Atlantic Canada between 2001-June 2020. Records were independently screened by two reviewers and were included if they were: peer-reviewed; written in English; health-related; and focused on Atlantic Canada. Data were extracted using a piloted data charting form, and a descriptive and thematic analysis was performed. 211 articles were retained for inclusion. Few empirical articles reported community engagement in all aspects of the research process. Most described incorporating community engagement at the project's onset and/or during data collection; only a few articles explicitly identified as entirely community-directed or led. Results revealed a gap in reported capacity-building for both Indigenous communities and researchers, necessary for holistic community engagement. Also revealed was the need for funding bodies, ethics boards, and peer review processes to better facilitate participatory and community-led Indigenous health research. As Indigenous communities continue reclaiming sovereignty over identities and territories, participatory research must involve substantive, agreed-upon involvement of Indigenous communities, with community-directed and led research as the ultimate goal.

Incorporating Community Engagement in Primary Care Research Training: Eleven-Year Outcomes.

In response to a local workforce need for community-engaged scholars, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) curriculum was incorporated into an established primary care research fellowship. The program prepares researchers to partner with at-risk communities to address root causes and cultural, linguistic, and systems barriers that contribute to health disparities. To describe the context, design, implementation and evaluation of the Academic Fellowship in Primary Care and Community-Engaged Research. The traditional primary care research curriculum was enhanced with expanded enrollment, including social scientists with complementary expertise to physician fellows; a structured CBPR seminar series; involvement of fellows in mentored community-academic partnership projects with progression to independence; and relevant teaching and mentoring experiences. Between 2007 and 2016, 22 fellows enrolled, with 16 in the CBPR track. Fellows demonstrated significant prepost gain in self-assessed competency in CBPR. During their 2- to 3-year training period, each CBPR fellow developed at least one community-academic partnership project, and they collectively produced more than 50 articles and 70 regional or national presentations, and mentored 29 medical student projects. Graduates have assumed leadership positions in academia, and have improved institutional capacity for community-engaged research, teaching, and practice. Important factors related to success and feasibility of CBPR training within a 2- to 3-year timeframe were having dedicated, experienced faculty mentors with existing authentic, trusted community partners, and dedicated funding for new community-academic partnership projects. This model can prepare primary care researchers and teachers to genuinely collaborate with vulnerable communities to address important health priorities and advance health equity.

Incorporating Community Engagement into Asian American Studies Curriculum Reform

This article examines the assessment of the UCLA Asian American studies program and resulting curriculum reform that was put into effect as of Fall 2013. The essay will discuss the context leading up to the 2013 curriculum reform, including the 2011 UCLA Asian American Studies Curriculum Assessment Project, the departmental curriculum restructure process, the most recent Academic Senate program review, and initial response to the community engagement courses. This serves as a case study of curriculum reform that successfully addressed the needs of the students, met Academic Senate requirements, and returned the department to the original principle of service through community engagement and partnerships.

Datasets2Tools, repository and search engine for bioinformatics datasets, tools and canned analyses

Biomedical data repositories such as the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) enable the search and discovery of relevant biomedical digital data objects. Similarly, resources such as OMICtools, index bioinformatics tools that can extract knowledge from these digital data objects. However, systematic access to pre-generated ‘canned’ analyses applied by bioinformatics tools to biomedical digital data objects is currently not available. Datasets2Tools is a repository indexing 31,473 canned bioinformatics analyses applied to 6,431 datasets. The Datasets2Tools repository also contains the indexing of 4,901 published bioinformatics software tools, and all the analyzed datasets. Datasets2Tools enables users to rapidly find datasets, tools, and canned analyses through an intuitive web interface, a Google Chrome extension, and an API. Furthermore, Datasets2Tools provides a platform for contributing canned analyses, datasets, and tools, as well as evaluating these digital objects according to their compliance with the findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) principles. By incorporating community engagement, Datasets2Tools promotes sharing of digital resources to stimulate the extraction of knowledge from biomedical research data. Datasets2Tools is freely available from: http://amp.pharm.mssm.edu/datasets2tools.

Applying mental model methods to characterize understanding of gene-environment influences: the case of podoconiosis in Ethiopia

ABSTRACTThe rapid pace of genomic discovery has raised public expectation and concerns about the utility of new discoveries and their potential to exacerbate health disparities. Improving literacy concerning gene and environmental (GxE) contributors to disease is needed to avoid commonly observed deterministic misconceptions about genomics. Mental models approaches that incorporate community engagement processes could be used to inform GxE literacy-building interventions. We used a mental models approach to describe and systematically compare expert and lay understanding of GxE interactions, using the example of podoconiosis, a non-infectious lymphedema endemic in highland Ethiopia. Methods included: (1) specifying elicitation questions for a literature review, (2) eliciting an expert model, (3) eliciting a lay model, and (4) comparing the two models. We used a coding scheme to identify lay participants’ knowledge gaps, misunderstandings, and extra knowledge relative to the expert standard. Results indicated that lay participants’ viewed poverty as an important susceptibility factor and considered heredity and contagion to have a joint causal influence. Experts did not endorse either of these viewpoints. Conventional expert-based interventions aimed to correct misconceptions about behaviors important for prevention may be stymied by lay views that social environmental factors have more important influences on health outcomes. GxE literacy interventions that consider multiple levels of influence including social determinants of health and personal resilience to augment health education strategies are needed in diverse settings. Novel communication approaches will be needed to help target audiences disentangle long-held conceptions of heredity and contagion.

Planting Healthy Roots

Documentary filmmaking approaches incorporating community engagement and awareness raising strategies may be a promising approach to evaluate community-based participatory research. The study purpose was 2-fold: (1) to evaluate a documentary film featuring the formation and implementation of a farmers' market and (2) to assess whether the film affected awareness regarding food access issues in a food-desert community with high rates of obesity. The coalition model of filmmaking, a model consistent with a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, and personal stories, community profiles, and expert interviews were used to develop a documentary film (Planting Healthy Roots). The evaluation demonstrated high levels of approval and satisfaction with the film and CBPR essence of the film. The documentary film aligned with a CBPR approach to document, evaluate, and disseminate research processes and outcomes.

Incorporating Community Engagement Language into Promotion and Tenure Policies: One University’s Journey

This case study describes the campus context and process for successfully including community engagement language into promotion and tenure policies at Virginia Commonwealth University, a high research, urban public university. The paper also describes barriers our campus faced during the promotion and tenure policy revision process, especially myths that emerged surrounding community-engaged work in the academy. We describe key supports that facilitated a successful process, including the important champions who played roles on our campus.

A simplified framework for incorporating health into community development initiatives.

Community development seeks to address the consequences of poverty through initiatives that improve housing, economic opportunity, service availability, and community capacity. There is growing recognition that the fields of community development and public health have much in common with regard to target populations, objectives, and challenges. Individual and neighborhood-level poverty are well-documented risk factors for illness and premature death. But relatively few developers systematically analyze how their projects could affect the health of the target community. Tools and metrics that facilitate incorporating health into planning, financing, and implementing new community development projects and programs will foster more widespread and productive collaboration between these two fields. We propose a simple framework to facilitate the identification and measurement of potential health effects, actions to optimize anticipated positive impacts, and strategies to mitigate potential negative impacts. The framework is drawn from an analysis of health impact assessments and includes four elements: identifying the health status of the population served, considering neighborhood-level influences on health, building design features important to health, and incorporating community engagement and capacity-building activities into the initiative.

Why We Need Community Engagement in Medical Research

BackgroundThe medical research enterprise depends on public recognition of its societal value. In light of evidence indicating public mistrust, especially among minorities, inadequate enrollment as well as diversity of research...

"You get what you pay for": resources for training and practice in community pediatrics matter.

US children continue to live in communities where failing schools are common, food desserts exacerbate obesity, and violence is endemic, giving rise to the expression that when it comes to health, your zip code dominates your genetic code. The health outcomes of US children and youth are troubling: our infant mortality rate ranks 56th among world countries,1 homicide is the leading cause of death for African American youth,2 and, despite a recent decline, our teen birth rate remains the highest in the developed world.3 Today nearly half of US children live in low-income families and 22% live under the poverty line.4 Although 4 of 5 physicians acknowledge a need to write prescriptions for their patient’s unmet social needs, they simultaneously lament their ability to do so.5 Addressing these “Millennial Morbidities” in training and in practice remains the context of community pediatrics.6 The field of pediatrics is leading in addressing the mismatch between what physicians need to do and currently do. Required training in community health and advocacy7 to address the root cause of health disparities began in 1999. Reshaping pediatrics to extend beyond the bedside and clinic to incorporate community engagement was prescient, and it was Dr Anne E. Dyson’s … Address correspondence to Lisa J. Chamberlain, MP, MPH, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, 770 Welch Road, #100, Palo Alto, CA 94304. E-mail: lchamberlain{at}stanford.edu

Community engagement to reduce inequalities in health: a systematic review, meta-analysis and economic analysis

BackgroundCommunity engagement has been advanced as a promising way of improving health and reducing health inequalities; however, the approach is not yet supported by a strong evidence base.ObjectivesTo undertake a multimethod systematic review which builds on the evidence that underpins the current UK guidance on community engagement; to identify theoretical models underpinning community engagement; to explore mechanisms and contexts through which communities are engaged; to identify community engagement approaches that are effective in reducing health inequalities, under what circumstances and for whom; and to determine the processes and costs associated with their implementation.Data sourcesDatabases including the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), The Campbell Library, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) database, the NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED) and EPPI-Centre’s Trials Register of Promoting Health Interventions (TRoPHI) and Database of Promoting Health Effectiveness Reviews (DoPHER) were searched from 1990 to August 2011 for systematic reviews and primary studies. Trials evaluating community engagement interventions reporting health outcomes were included.Review methodsStudy eligibility criteria: published after 1990; outcome, economic, or process evaluation; intervention relevant to community engagement; written in English; measured and reported health or community outcomes, or presents cost, resource, or implementation data characterises study populations or reports differential impacts in terms of social determinants of health; conducted in an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country. Study appraisal: risk of bias for outcome evaluations; assessment of validity and relevance for process evaluations; comparison against an economic evaluation checklist for economic evaluations. Synthesis methods: four synthesis approaches were adopted for the different evidence types: theoretical, quantitative, process, and economic evidence.ResultsThe theoretical synthesis identified key models of community engagement that are underpinned by different theories of changes. Results from 131 studies included in a meta-analysis indicate that there is solid evidence that community engagement interventions have a positive impact on health behaviours, health consequences, self-efficacy and perceived social support outcomes, across various conditions. There is insufficient evidence – particularly for long-term outcomes and indirect beneficiaries – to determine whether one particular model of community engagement is likely to be more effective than any other. There are also insufficient data to test the effects on health inequalities, although there is some evidence to suggest that interventions that improve social inequalities (as measured by social support) also improve health behaviours. There is weak evidence from the effectiveness and process evaluations that certain implementation factors may affect intervention success. From the economic analysis, there is weak but inconsistent evidence that community engagement interventions are cost-effective. By combining findings across the syntheses, we produced a new conceptual framework.LimitationsDifferences in the populations, intervention approaches and health outcomes made it difficult to pinpoint specific strategies for intervention effectiveness. The syntheses of process and economic evidence were limited by the small (generally not rigorous) evidence base.ConclusionsCommunity engagement interventions are effective across a wide range of contexts and using a variety of mechanisms. Public health initiatives should incorporate community engagement into intervention design. Evaluations should place greater emphasis on long-term outcomes, outcomes for indirect beneficiaries, process evaluation, and reporting costs and resources data. The theories of change identified and the newly developed conceptual framework are useful tools for researchers and practitioners. We identified trends in the evidence that could provide useful directions for future intervention design and evaluation.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.

Practical and Pedagogical Aspects of Learning Through Participation: the LTP Assessment Design Framework

Assessment of student learning in experience-based education is recognised as being a complex but important task. Practitioners are faced with a myriad of practical and pedagogical issues that influence what and how they assess, and can severely impact the effectiveness of assessment strategies. This paper presents a synthesised overview of the literature about assessment of student learning that is usually discussed in dispersed arenas and under different headings, such as work-integrated learning, cooperative education, practicum, project-based learning and service-learning etc. The term Learning through Participation (LTP) is introduced to cover all of these areas, but especially those where students undertake experiences and placements that incorporate community engagement and which are based within the curriculum. The literature in this area highlights a number of issues that add layers to the complexity of assessment of LTP. The synthesis presented herein discusses questions of validity, objective verification of learning, the roles and expectations of various stakeholders in the process of assessment, and the role and purpose of reflection in learning and assessment. To assist practitioners a LTP Assessment Design Framework has been created, which guides academics though a consideration and analysis of the practical and pedagogical context of LTP and some of the most important issues. The framework consists of two parts. The first part involves the development of a Placement Profile, to better understand the operational conditions for which the assessment package must be designed, and the second part is a set of Guiding Questions about assessment and feedback.