Level Of Community Engagement Research Articles

Exploring Community-Based Suicide Prevention in the Context of Rural Australia: A Qualitative Study.

Suicide rates in rural communities are higher than in urban areas, and communities play a crucial role in suicide prevention. This study explores community-based suicide prevention using a qualitative research design. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups asked participants to explore community-based suicide prevention in the context of rural Australia. Participants recruited ((n = 37; ages 29-72, Mean = 46, SD = 9.56); female 62.2%; lived experience 48.6%) were self-identified experts, working in rural community-based suicide prevention (community services, program providers, research, and policy development) around Australia. Data were thematically analysed, identifying three themes relating to community-based suicide prevention: (i) Community led initiatives; (ii) Meeting community needs; and (iii) Programs to improve health and suicidality. Implementing community-based suicide prevention needs community-level engagement and partnerships, including with community leaders; gatekeepers; community members; people with lived experience; services; and professionals, to "get stuff done". Available resources and social capital are utilised, with co-created interventions reflecting diverse lifestyles, beliefs, norms, and cultures. The definition of "community", community needs, issues, and solutions need to be identified by communities themselves. Primarily non-clinical programs address determinants of health and suicidality and increase community awareness of suicide and its prevention, and the capacity to recognise and support people at risk. This study shows how community-based suicide prevention presents as a social innovation approach, seeing suicide as a social phenomenon, with community-based programs as the potential driver of social change, equipping communities with the "know how" to implement, monitor, and adjust community-based programs to fit community needs.

Understanding the Role of Service-Learning on Civic Engagement and Scientific Literacy

Implementation of service-learning within courses may increase students’ overall attitudes towards themselves, their community, and their school and improve academic performance. The study aim was to understand students’ perceptions of prior civic engagement experiences and level of scientific literacy to gauge if participation in course-based service-learning impacted continual community engagement and improved scientific literacy. Students completed a pre- and post-assessment tool measuring their level of community engagement and scientific literacy administered in six courses. Results showed that service-learning did not negatively affect student perception of civic engagement. Students enrolled in service-based courses demonstrated significant improvement in their scientific literacy. Participation in service learning facilitates growth in scientific inquiry and civic engagement.

Community engagement strategies to promote recruitment and participation in clinical research among rural communities: A narrative review.

Residents of rural areas are underrepresented in research. The aim of this narrative review was to explore studies describing the effectiveness of community engagement strategies with rural communities to promote participant recruitment and participation in clinical research. Following PRISMA guidelines, this narrative review was conducted in June 2020. Our search strategy was built around keywords that included community-engaged research, rural community, and recruitment strategies into clinical research. Content-related descriptive statistics were summarized. The selected articles were distributed into categories of levels of community engagement: inform, consult, involve, collaborate, or co-lead. The search resulted in 2,473 identified studies of which forty-eight met inclusion criteria. Of these, 47.1% were randomized controlled trials. The most common levels of engagement were consultation (n = 24 studies) and collaboration (n = 15), while very few focused on informing (n = 2) and co-leadership (n = 2). Strategies, limitations, and findings are discussed for each level of community engagement. This narrative addressed a gap in knowledge regarding participant recruitment in rural communities in relation to assistance from community members. Community engagement contributed to the success of the research, especially in recruitment, participation, and building trust and partnership.

Asistir, consultar, involucrar: ¿es necesario redefinir el concepto de participación comunitaria?

ObjectiveTo describe how a sample of people working in community health promotion projects perceive and implement community engagement approaches. MethodMixed qualitative–quantitative study. Data was collected through: semi-structured interviews with 10 people representing the projects, and workshops in which 53 people participated and responded to a questionnaire prepared ad hoc to identify levels of community engagement. Descriptive statistical analysis of the questionnaires and framework analysis of the interviews, observations and workshops recordings. ResultsAlthough the projects are described as highly participatory, community engagement appeared mainly in the form of attending events, with few examples of consultation or community involvement. ConclusionsThis difference may be due to the lack of a culture of participation, both in individuals and institutions, and lack of training in community engagement. It is proposed to change the language from participation-attendance to using expressions such as consulting or involving people.

The Potency of the Tumih Village Farmer Community's Participation in the Agricultural Development Planning Strategy

In Tumih Village, Wanaraya District, Barito Kuala Regency, South Kalimantan Province, this study attempts to assess the strategy and growth of the agricultural sector as well as the level of community engagement in relation to agriculture. The settlement of Tumih itself has excellent potential for agriculture, particularly rice production. The analytical technique used employs the Strength Field Analysis approach to identify development plans and Participation Strength Analysis to identify the level of community involvement in agriculture in Tumih Village while determining the agricultural sector's strategy. The analysis' findings indicate that the key influencing elements for agricultural development plans in Tumih Village are the availability of human resources in the agricultural sector, particularly in the case of rice, and the farmers' receptivity to new technology. A hindrance in Tumih Village is the absence of irrigation and agricultural technologies. With only 36.5 percent, the assessment of the level of community involvement in planning for agricultural growth is still insufficient.

Do social support and community engagement act as mechanisms in the association between neighbourhood income inequality and the mental health of mothers in Calgary, Canada? A mediation analysis.

According to the social determinants of health framework, income inequality is a potential risk factor for adverse mental health. However, few studies have explored the mechanisms suspected to mediate this relationship. The current study addresses this gap through a mediation analysis to determine if social support and community engagement act as mediators linking neighbourhood income inequality to maternal anxiety and depressive symptoms within a cohort of new mothers living in the City of Calgary, Canada. Data collected at three years postpartum from mothers belonging to the All Our Families (AOF) cohort were used in the current study. Maternal data were collected between 2012 and 2015 and linked to neighbourhood socioeconomic data from the 2006 Canadian Census. Income inequality was measured using Gini coefficients derived from 2006 after-tax census data. Generalized structural equation models were used to quantify the associations between income inequality and mental health symptoms, and to assess the potential direct and indirect mediating effects of maternal social support and community engagement. Income inequality was not significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms (β=0.32, 95%CI=-0.067, 0.70), anxiety symptoms (β=0.11, 95%CI=-0.39, 0.60), or lower social support. Income inequality was not associated with community engagement. For the depression models, higher social support was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms (β=-0.13, 95%CI=-0.15, -0.097), while community engagement was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β=0.059, 95%CI=-0.15, 0.27). Similarly, for the anxiety models, lower anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with higher levels of social support (β=-0.17, 95%CI=-0.20, -0.13) but not with higher levels of community engagement (β=0.14, 95%CI=-0.14, 0.41). The current study did not find clear evidence for social support or community engagement mediating the relationship between neighbourhood income inequality and maternal mental health. Future investigations should employ a broader longitudinal approach to capture changes in income inequality, potential mediators, and mental health symptomatology over time.

Construct validation of the Research Engagement Survey Tool (REST)

BackgroundThe Research Engagement Survey Tool (REST) was developed to examine the level of partner (e.g., patients, caregivers, advocates, clinicians, community members) engagement in research studies. The REST is aligned with eight engagement principles based on the literature and consensus reached through a five round Delphi process. Each of the engagement principles has three-five corresponding items that are assessed on two Likert type scales quantity (how often: never, rarely, sometimes, often, always, not applicable) and quality (how well: poor, fair, good, very good, excellent, not applicable). We conducted a comprehensive validation of the REST. Despite the importance of partner engagement in research, currently no gold standard measure exists.MethodsMultiple strategies were employed to validate the REST. Here, we examine the internal consistency of items for each of the eight engagement principles. In addition, we examine the convergent validity of the comprehensive (32-item) REST with other measures (e.g., medical mistrust, Community Engagement in Research Index, Partnership Self-Assessment Tool, Wilder collaboration inventory, Partnership Assessment In community-based Research). We propose two scoring approaches for the REST; one aligned with the engagement principles and the other aligned with levels of community engagement: (1) outreach and education, (2) consultation, (3) cooperation, (4) collaboration, and (5) partnership.ResultsThe REST has strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.75) for each of the eight engagement principals measured on both scales (quality and quantity). The REST had negligible (e.g., medical mistrust, community engagement in research index), low (e.g., Partnership Assessment In community-based Research, Partnership Self-Assessment Tool- benefits scale), and moderate (e.g., Wilder collaboration inventory, Partnership Self-Assessment Tool- synergy scale) statistically significant correlations with other measures based on the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. These results suggest the REST is measuring something similar and correlated to the existing measures, but it captures a different construct (perceived research engagement).ConclusionsThe REST is a valid and reliable tool to assess research engagement of community health stakeholders in the research process. Valid tools to assess research engagement are necessary to examine the impact of engagement on the scientific process and scientific discovery and move the field of stakeholder engagement from best practices and lessons learned to evidence-based approaches based on empirical data.

Mental health interventions for suicide prevention among indigenous adolescents: a systematic review.

The legacies of colonization and of policies of forced assimilation continue to be a cause of intergenerational trauma, manifested through feelings of marginality, depression, anxiety and confusion, which place indigenous peoples at increased risk of suicide. To assess the quality, content, delivery and effectiveness of interventions for preventing suicides among indigenous adolescents. Systematic review conducted with Cochrane methodology, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The Cochrane library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, LILACS and PsycINFO databases were searched for studies published up to February 2021. The following inclusion criteria were used: published in any language; interventions that aimed to prevent suicides among indigenous adolescents; randomized or non-randomized study with a control or comparative group; and validated measurements of mental health problems. Two studies were identified: one on adolescents in the remote Yup'ik community in south-western Alaska, and the other on Zuni adolescents in New Mexico. Both studies showed evidence of effectiveness in interventions for reducing some of the risk factors and increasing some of the protective factors associated with suicide. High levels of community engagement and culture-centeredness were key anchors of both studies, which ensured that the intervention content, delivery and outcome measurements aligned with the beliefs and practices of the communities. Both studies were judged to have a moderate risk of bias, with biases in sample selection, attrition and inadequate reporting of results. The current evidence base is small but signaled the value of culturally appropriate interventions for prevention of suicide among indigenous adolescents. The study protocol is registered in the international prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO); no. CRD42019141754.

A Crowdsourcing Open Contest to Design a Latino-Specific COVID-19 Campaign: Mixed Methods Analysis.

BackgroundLatino communities are among the most heavily impacted populations by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States due to intersectional barriers to care. Crowdsourcing open contests can be an effective means of community engagement but have not been well studied in Latino populations nor in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.ObjectiveThe aims of this study are to (1) implement and evaluate a crowdsourcing open contest to solicit a name for a COVID-19 social marketing campaign for Latino populations in Maryland and (2) conduct a thematic analysis of submitted entries to guide campaign messaging.MethodsTo assess the level of community engagement in this crowdsourcing open contest, we used descriptive statistics to analyze data on entries, votes, and demographic characteristics of participants. The submitted text was analyzed through inductive thematic analysis.ResultsWe received 74 entries within a 2-week period. The top 10 entries were chosen by community judges and the winner was decided by popular vote. We received 383 votes within 1 week. The most common themes were collective efficacy, self-efficacy, and perceived benefits of COVID-19 testing. We used these themes to directly inform our social marketing intervention and found that advertisements based on these themes became the highest performing.ConclusionsCrowdsourcing open contests are an effective means of community engagement and an agile tool for guiding interventions to address COVID-19, including in populations impacted by health care disparities, such as Latino communities. The thematic analysis of contest entries can be a valuable strategy to inform the development of social marketing campaign materials.

A Strategic Framework for Community Engagement in Oceans and Human Health.

Over the past two decades, scientific research on the connections between the health and resilience of marine ecosystems, and human health, well-being, and community prosperity has expanded and evolved into a distinct "metadiscipline" known as Oceans and Human Health (OHH), recognized by the scientific community as well as policy makers. OHH goals are diverse, and seek to improve public health outcomes, promote sustainable use of aquatic systems and resources, and strengthen community resilience. OHH research has historically included some level of community outreach and partner involvement; however, the increasing disruption of aquatic environments and urgency of public health impacts calls for a more systematic approach to effectively identify and engage with community partners to achieve project goals and outcomes. Herein, we present a strategic framework developed collaboratively by community engagement personnel from the four recently established U.S. Centers for Oceans and Human Health (COHH). This framework supports researchers in defining levels of community engagement and in aligning partners, purpose, activities, and approaches intentionally in their community engagement efforts. Specifically, we describe: (1) a framework for a range of outreach and engagement approaches; (2) the need for identifying partners, purpose, activities, and approaches; and (3) the importance of making intentional alignment among them. Misalignment across these dimensions may lead to wasting time or resources, eroding public trust, or failing to achieve intended outcomes. We illustrate the framework with examples from current COHH case studies, and conclude with future directions for strategic community engagement in OHH and other environmental health contexts.

Does community matter?: a study on rural chinese teachers’ turnover

ABSTRACT Teachers’ retention plays a critical role in rural students’ access to quality education. Previous studies on rural teacher turnover have emphasised the role of economic disadvantages, with little attention paid to non-economic factors. The present study examined the effects of teacher-community interactions and community social structure on rural teachers’ intention to leave. Hierarchical Linear Model analysis was conducted with a national sample of 3,742 rural teachers in China. The descriptive statistics showed that rural teachers had a mild level of community engagement on average. However, we found that interactions between teachers and local members were significantly related to a higher level of intention to stay. Teachers working in close-knit communities were more likely to leave than their counterparts in scattered and dispersed communities. Leaders of rural schools and communities should be aware of such interactions’ benefits, especially in areas with strong social ties.

Engaging communities to prepare for natural hazards: a conceptual model

Natural hazard preparation by communities reduces disaster-induced physical health problems and adverse experiences, lowers potential for post-traumatic stress disorders, and aids faster recovery. However, approaches to community engagement for preparedness vary widely leaving those responsible confused and often overwhelmed. This study builds on natural hazards behavior, community development, participatory, and codesign research to understand current community engagement approaches in an Australian context. Key principles for engaging communities were operationalized from document analysis and interviews with 30 community engagement practitioners from 25 Australian emergency management agencies. A thematic analysis of the agency documents and interviews led to a visualization of the pathway to community-led preparedness with the iterative community-centered engagement model for preparedness. The model reflects both current practice and aspirations. It contributes theoretically to a collaborative community-led engagement approach for risk personalization and protective action by highlighting the need to develop a deep understanding of the specific features of local communities. The model maps a pathway through different levels of community engagement toward the ultimate aim of a community-led approach to natural hazards preparation. It recognizes the changing circumstances and the situation of communities within their environment, and the barriers and enablers to support community-led preparedness. The model is significant in that it delivers a practical framework for engagement practitioners to build capacity in their communities and support their local communities to prepare for natural hazards and build relational capital for longer-term resilience.

Association of community engagement with vaccination confidence and uptake: A cross-sectional survey in Sierra Leone, 2019.

BackgroundThe 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic disrupted childhood immunization in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. After the epidemic, the Government of Sierra Leone prioritized community engagement to increase vaccination confidence and uptake. To support these efforts, we examined potential drivers of vaccination confidence and uptake in Sierra Leone.MethodsWe conducted a population-based household survey with primary caregivers of children in a birth cohort of 12 to 23 months in four districts with low vaccination coverage in Sierra Leone in 2019. Modified Poisson regression modeling with robust variance estimation was used to examine if perceived community engagement in planning the immunization program in the community was associated with vaccination confidence and having a fully vaccinated child.ResultsThe sample comprised 621 age-eligible children and their caregivers (91% response rate). Half of the caregivers (52%) reported that it usually takes too long to get to the vaccination site, and 36% perceived that health workers expect money for vaccination services that are supposed to be given at no charge. When mothers were the decision-makers of the children’s vaccination, 80% of the children were fully vaccinated versus 69% when fathers were the decision-makers and 56% when other relatives were the decision-makers. Caregivers with high confidence in vaccination were more likely to have fully vaccinated children compared to caregivers with low confidence (78% versus 53%). For example, caregivers who thought vaccines are ‘very much’ safe were more likely to have fully vaccinated children than those who thought vaccines are ‘somewhat’ safe (76% versus 48%). Overall, 53% of caregivers perceived high level of community engagement, 41% perceived medium level of engagement, and 6% perceived low level of engagement. Perceiving high community engagement was associated with expressing high vaccination confidence (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) = 2.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.67-4.04) and having a fully vaccinated child (aPR = 1.67; 95% CI = 1.18-2.38).ConclusionsIn these four low coverage districts in Sierra Leone, the perceived level of community engagement was strongly associated with vaccination confidence among caregivers and vaccination uptake among children. We have provided exploratory cross-sectional evidence to inform future longitudinal assessments to further investigate the potential causal effect of community engagement on vaccination confidence and uptake.

Medical doctors and community engagement in the aftermath of a disaster

Medical doctors conduct many health care and promotion activities after a disaster. However, there are limited studies on how doctors engage disaster-affected community members during the activities. This paper aims to examine medical doctors’ experiences in engaging their community during the rehabilitation period after a big disaster. The study is based on a more extensive ethnographic study at disaster-affected health centers and communities in Aceh. The researcher conducted interviews with eleven community doctors and 45 hours of participant observations involving three doctors. Findings show different levels of community engagement in the doctor participants’ experiences. Most of them only ‘informed’ rather than ‘engaged’ the disaster-affected patient and community. This paper calls for the enactment of community engagement in healthcare practices and education.

Patterns and Determinants of Community Participation in Community Clinics in Rural Bangladesh

This paper aims to assess the pattern, determinants, and magnitude of local people's involvement in community clinics (CCs) in rural Bangladesh. We endeavor to show how these clinics function in reality in rural settings, taking account of local socio-economic and political contexts, and additionally to explore how community members perceive their participation in the activities of CCs. To this end, an ethnographic approach has been used as a methodology. Drawing on ethnographic data from rural settings, we argue that rural health provision may be usefully examined in light of a community-based approach. This paper finds that CCs have played a crucial role in providing primary healthcare among rural women, poor, and marginalized people; however, the utilization of healthcare services is still low compared to the target set in the policy. The extent of local engagement in community clinics is influenced by several contextual factors, including social stratification, power dynamics, and the possession of social and cultural capitals. Conversely, there has been an observed rise in the extent of community engagement; nevertheless, it has not yet reached the intended level. Sociocultural dynamics, political and economic factors, and a lack of awareness are the key barriers in this regard. More specifically, both structural arrangements and cultural factors within the local community determine the success of CC programs. The effectiveness and sustainability of CCs are believed by local people to be greatly enhanced by the implementation of a community-participatory strategy, provided that the goals behind this approach are really adhered to and put into action. Despite the implementation of several policies and initiatives, conducting comprehensive research is necessary in order to develop future action plans that may improve the quality, magnitude and level of community engagement in CCs.

Factors associated with community engagement in areas with a high and low incidence of local malaria cases in Zanzibar

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of asymptomatic infection in the general population in Zanzibar has declined from above 25% in 2005 to less than 1% in 2010. Despite these achievements, in 2021, the number of malaria cases increased by two folds. This study aimed at understanding the levels of community engagement towards malaria elimination and factors associated with them to provide recommendations that can be used to reinforce community engagement. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted using structured questionnaires to 431 randomly selected households. The interviewees were the heads of households or representative adults above 18 years. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done to determine the association between social demographic characteristics, malaria knowledge, practicing malaria prevention interventions and status of community engagement. Statistical significance test was declared at P- value

Promoting Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Hybrid, Innovative Approach in Malaysia.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had monumental effects on the mental health of populations worldwide. Previous research indicated that programs and interventions using social networks can play a positive role in promoting mental health. Nevertheless, current evidence is largely derived from high-income regions, reflecting an urgent need for more studies in low- and middle-income settings.Objectives: This paper aims to (a) describe the potential value of a hybrid health carnival in promoting mental health and increasing access to screening services; (b) assess the level of community engagement with the digital platform.Methods: A mental health carnival was conducted with the theme of “Mind Your Mental Health” (Cakna Kesihatan Mental) in conjunction with the World Mental Health Day in Malaysia. This was a hybrid carnival that combined elements of face-to-face interactions and virtual learning. Free online therapy sessions were offered to high-risk groups identified during the screening process. Social media metrics were utilized to report the levels of community engagement and participants completed pre-and post-assessments to measure the program's impact on their knowledge.Results: The carnival was attended by 515 participants (78.8% virtual participants). Social media metrics reported more than 5,585 reaches on Facebook for all the activities held throughout the event. Results from pre-and post-assessments showed significant improvement in the mean knowledge scores (p < 0.05).Conclusion: This digital approach will continue to evolve by releasing new features and tools as a new frontier for high-risk populations and all individuals seeking mental health support and treatment.

Mengukur Tingkat Keterikatan Masyarakat Kampung Atas Air, Kota Balikpapan

This research originated from the theory of community attachment based on social relationships which can cause emotional feelings towards their place of residence as a result of their journey of living together. There is also the term Gemeinschaft (intimate community) for people who know each other and develop so that they have a sense of density, friendship, and personal emotional bonds between them. One of the living environments that is characterized by gemeinchaft is the urban hometown. The urban village is an informal village, unplanned and not served by adequate housing infrastructure. One of the efforts made by the government to improve the quality of urban villages is through the Community-Based Settlement Environmental Management (PLPBK) program. The village over the water of Kelurahan Baru Tengah is one of the areas targeted by the PLPBK program. This program is a program to improve the quality of the settlement environment using a participatory approach, so that the role of the community is very important in its implementation. This study aims to determine the level of community engagement in urban village settlements, namely Kampung Atas Air, Baru Tengah Village, using Social Network Analysis (SNA). This paper shows that the level of community engagement in Kampung Atas Air, Baru Tengah Village is high. The high level of community engagement is expected to become social capital that can support community-based government programs.

Evaluating Prospective Homestay Families in the U.S. and New Approaches to Further Enrich the Exchange Student’s Opinion of America

Determining the level of effectiveness in exchange programs has become increasingly more important to evaluators. Likewise, bilateral connectivity between the host country’s people &amp; institutions and the exchange student have benefitted from recent recommendations of comprehensive evaluations. However, the homestay family factor of the exchange experience lags in this area. In that regard, exchange programs could improve significantly from a broader and deeper understanding of the homestay experience, as seen from the host’s perspective. In fact, citizen diplomacy is alive and active in the host’s homes. People to people contact in these intimate settings can form attitudes, sentiments, and emotional attachments that should be measured as a mode to improve citizen diplomacy practices. From the aptitude of the host family to their level of community engagement, several elements are key to an ambiance where the exchange student can better adapt, learn, interact, feel, think, express ideas, learn about customs and community, familiarize with the language, and overall enhance their experience, hence their opinion about their host country.

Effectiveness of a community-level social mobilization intervention in achieving the outcomes of polio vaccination campaigns during the post-polio-endemic period: Evidence from CORE Group polio project in Uttar Pradesh, India

BackgroundA social mobilization (SM) initiative contributed to India’s success in polio elimination. This was the CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP) India, a partner of the Uttar Pradesh (UP) SM Network and which continued its SM activities, even during the polio-free period through a network of multi-level social mobilizers. This paper assesses the effects of this community-level SM (CLSM) intervention on the extent of community engagement and performance of polio Supplementary Immunization Activity campaigns (SIAs) during the post-polio-endemic period (i.e., from March 2012 to September 2017).MethodsThis study followed a quasi-experimental design. We used secondary, cluster-level data from CGPP India’s Management Information System, including 52 SIAs held from January 2008 to September 2017, covering 56 blocks from 12 districts of UP. We computed various indicators and performed Generalized Estimating Equations based analysis to assess the statistical significance of differences between the outcomes of intervention and non-intervention areas. We then estimated the effects of the SM intervention using Interrupted time-series, Difference-in-Differences and Synthetic Control Methods. Finally, we estimated the population influenced by the intervention.ResultsThe performance of polio SIAs changed over time, with the intervention areas having better outcomes than non-intervention areas. The absence of CLSM intervention during the post-polio-endemic period would have negatively impacted the outcomes of polio SIAs. The percentage of children vaccinated at polio SIA booths, percentage of ‘X’ houses (i.e., households with unvaccinated children or households with out-of-home/out-of-village children or locked households) converted to ‘P’ (i.e., households with all vaccinated children or households without children eligible for vaccination), and percentage of resistant houses converted to polio acceptors would have gone down by 14.1 (Range: 12.7 to 15.5), 6.3 (Range: 5.2 to 7.3) and 7.4 percentage points, respectively. Community engagement would have reduced by 7.2 (Range: 6.6 to 7.7) percentage points.ConclusionsThe absence of CLSM intervention would have significantly decreased the level of community engagement and negatively impacted the performance of polio SIAs of the post-polio-endemic period. The study provides evidence of an added value of deploying additional human resource dedicated to social mobilization to achieve desired vaccination outcomes in hard-to-reach or programmatically challenging areas.