Engagement Of People Research Articles

Diversifying Large-Scale Participatory Science: The Efficacy of Engagement through Facilitator Organizations

Large-scale, scientist-led, participatory science (citizen science) projects often engage participants who are primarily white, wealthy, and well-educated. Calls to diversify contributory projects are increasingly common, but little research has evaluated the efficacy of suggested strategies for diversification. We engaged participants in Crowd the Tap through facilitator organizations like historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), predominantly white institutions, high school science classrooms, and corporate volunteer programs. Crowd the Tap is a contributory project focused on identifying and addressing lead (Pb) contamination in household drinking water in the United States. We investigated how participant diversity with respects to race, ethnicity, and homeownership (a proxy for income) differed between participation facilitated through a partner organization and unfacilitated participation in which participants came to the project independently. We were also interested in which facilitators were most effective at increasing participant diversity. White and wealthy participants were overrepresented in unfacilitated participation. Facilitation helped increase engagement of people of color, especially Black and lower-income households. High schools were particularly effective at engaging Hispanic or Latinx participants, and HBCUs were important for engaging Black households. Ultimately, our results suggest that engagement through facilitator organizations may be an effective means of engaging diverse participants in large-scale projects. Our results have important implications for the field of participatory science as we seek to identify evidence-based strategies for diversifying project participants.

The Roles of Actor/Teacher in Creating Youth Community Theatre: Empowering and Re-Connecting Youths with their Community in a Partnership School Project, Pichit Province, Thailand

This study documented the community theatre process for young people led by facilitators from the Play-Spirit Studio and examined how their processes and roles impacted the development of the youths. The program was implemented in four schools in Pichit Province, Thailand, with each project lasting five days. The facilitators used the community theatre process, working with youths between the ages of 9-12 and 13-18 as an intervention in 4 schools, encouraging them to create narratives based on their community. The narratives functioned as a learning process for the youths and as a production for the community audiences. The facilitators' leadership in the process provided a safe learning environment for the youths to explore social issues, assume roles in drama, and reflect on themselves. This was a transformative experience for both the young people and their teachers. The young people developed communication, team-working, and resilience skills through the theatre process while the teachers recognized the youths’ potential and the importance of community engagement in the young people’s learning.

Application of Virtual Reality in a Super-Aging Society

Generally, when the proportion of the population aged ≥65 years exceeds 21% of the total population, it is referred to as a "super-aging society." In 2022, Japan surpassed this ratio, reaching 29%, presenting a significant challenge in sustaining the generous government support being provided. Maintaining connections with the community as individuals age, amid changes in their lives, bodies, and social relationships, is also considered crucial for the physical and mental well-being. Virtual reality may emerge as a potentially valuable tool aiding the promotion of health and social engagement of older people.

Reflecting on the intersectionality of lived experiences of dermatological diseases and the WHO Framework for meaningful engagement of people living with noncommunicable diseases, and mental health and neurological conditions.

Reflecting on the intersectionality of lived experiences of dermatological diseases and the WHO Framework for meaningful engagement of people living with noncommunicable diseases, and mental health and neurological conditions.

Joining the dots to reimagine community resilience: empowering young people

Historically, disaster response management for children and young people, people from linguistically diverse cultural backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been shaped by a vulnerability and risk discourse, informed by trauma-informed and risk mitigation strategies. These are vital, but the vulnerability discourse has moved into other areas of disaster prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and resilience. Vulnerability has been linked to pre-existing, socially produced inequalities and power structures. This has worked to homogenise, marginalise and diminish the capability of community members in resilience efforts. The United Nations Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 [Sendai Framework] calls for governments and relevant stakeholders to ‘advocate for resilient communities and an inclusive and all-of-society disaster risk management’ (UNDRR 2015, p.23). This includes the meaningful engagement of people who are marginalised from resilience building. The Sendai Framework makes a specific argument for engaging children and young people, declaring they are agents of change who should be given the space to contribute to disaster risk reduction. The aim of this paper is to consider how the Sendai Framework has influenced the inclusion of young people in disaster resilience and to introduce emerging evidence of how young people are joining the dots to reimagine community resilience.

Digital health literacy and digital engagement for people with severe mental ill health across the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in England

BackgroundAn unprecedented acceleration in digital mental health services happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, people with severe mental ill health (SMI) might be at risk of digital exclusion, partly because of a lack of digital skills, such as digital health literacy. The study seeks to examine how the use of the Internet has changed during the pandemic for people with SMI, and explore digital exclusion, symptomatic/health related barriers to internet engagement, and digital health literacy.MethodsOver the period from July 2020 to February 2022, n = 177 people with an SMI diagnosis (psychosis-spectrum disorder or bipolar affective disorder) in England completed three surveys providing sociodemographic information and answering questions regarding their health, use of the Internet, and digital health literacy.Results42.5% of participants reported experiences of digital exclusion. Cochrane-Q analysis showed that there was significantly more use of the Internet at the last two assessments (80.8%, and 82.2%) compared to that at the beginning of the pandemic (65.8%; ps < 0.001). Although 34.2% of participants reported that their digital skills had improved during the pandemic, 54.4% still rated their Internet knowledge as being fair or worse than fair. Concentration difficulties (62.6%) and depression (56.1%) were among the most frequently reported symptomatic barriers to use the Internet. The sample was found to have generally moderate levels of digital health literacy (M = 26.0, SD = 9.6). Multiple regression analysis showed that higher literacy was associated with having outstanding/good self-reported knowledge of the Internet (ES = 6.00; 95% CI: 3.18–8.82; p < .001), a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (compared to psychosis spectrum disorder – ES = 5.14; 95% CI: 2.47–7.81; p < .001), and being female (ES = 3.18; 95% CI: 0.59–5.76; p = .016).ConclusionsThese findings underline the need for training and support among people with SMI to increase digital skills, facilitate digital engagement, and reduce digital engagement, as well as offering non-digital engagement options to service users with SMI.

Identifying Relevant Content to Inform a Comprehensive Indigenous Health Curriculum: A Scoping Review.

To identify the entry-level curricular content related to Indigenous health recommended for entry-level physiotherapy (PT) programs in Canada and other similar countries. Design: Scoping review. Procedures: Four electronic databases were searched using the terms physiotherapy, Indigenous health, entry-level curriculum, and their derivatives. Grey literature sources were hand searched and included Canadian PT professional documents, PT Program websites, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) sources, and a Google search. Data related to curriculum characteristics, methods of delivery, and barriers and facilitators to implementation were extracted from relevant references. Stakeholders reviewed study findings. Forty-five documents were included. Documents focused on Indigenous peoples in Canada, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia, and Māori in New Zealand. Canadian PT programs appeared to rely on passive teaching methods while programs in Australia and New Zealand emphasized the importance of partnering and engaging with Indigenous people. Barriers to incorporating indigenous health curriculum included an overcrowded curriculum and difficulty establishing relevance of Indigenous content (i.e., meaning). Similarities and differences were found between curricula content and approaches to teaching IH in Canada and the other countries reviewed. Strategies to promote greater engagement of Indigenous people in the development and teaching of IH is recommended.

Using Simple Interactive Technology to Help People with Intellectual and Visual Disabilities Exercise Functional Physical Responses: A Case Series Study

The study assessed a new interactive technology system for helping six people with intellectual and visual disabilities exercise relevant physical responses embedded within a fairly straightforward activity (i.e., placing objects in containers). Activity responses consisted of the participants taking objects from the floor or a low shelf and placing those objects in a container high up in front of them (thus bending their body and legs and stretching their arms and hands). The technology involved a portable computer, a webcam, and three mini speakers whose basic functions included monitoring the participants’ responses, delivering preferred stimulation contingent on the responses and verbal encouragements/prompts for lack of responses, and assisting in data recording. The study was conducted following a non-concurrent multiple baseline design across participants. During baseline (i.e., when the system was used only for data recording), the participants’ mean frequency of responses per session varied between zero and nearly 12. During intervention (i.e., when the system was fully working), the participants’ mean frequency of responses per session increased to between about 34 and 59. Mean session duration varied between nearly 10 and over 14 min. The new system may be a valuable tool for supporting relevant physical activity engagement in people with intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Poster (Clinical/Best Practice Implementation) ID 1985364

Background/objectives The engagement of people with lived experience (PLEX) of spinal cord injury/disease (SCI/D) in rehabilitation research can lead to relevant questions and improved data collection, interpretation, knowledge translation, and research impact. We describe the process to create a toolkit which elaborates the roles that PLEX can play in rehabilitation research to ensure engagement is authentic and effective. Methods Five separate working groups were convened to each focus on a specific role of PLEX: research team member, peer reviewer, knowledge translator, decision-maker, and fundraising ambassador. The roles of PLEX in research, relevant training tools, and indicators to measure engagement were explored through 17 virtual meetings with 45 scientists, research staff, learners, and PLEX. Menti-meter and Survey Monkey were used to select training tools via consensus. A summative meeting was held with all participants to achieve consensus regarding the role descriptions. Meeting transcripts and survey data informed iterations of the materials prior to achieving consensus. Findings The Toolkit contains five role descriptions for PLEX as well as example activities, training requirements for scientists and PLEX, and specific indicators for each role. The Toolkit includes several best practice considerations and three practical tools for researchers to plan engagement, facilitate compensation, and implement/evaluate engagement. Conclusions The Toolkit can be used by researchers and research organizations to develop, implement, and evaluate engagement plans with PLEX in SCI/D rehabilitation research. This Toolkit can be used to transform the SCI/D rehabilitation research and advocacy agenda, and contribute to more relevant research with a greater impact.

Impact of Illness Perceptions on Poststroke Activity Engagement and the Moderating Role of Gender.

Beyond existing knowledge of demographic and performance skill factors, establishing relationships between poststroke activity engagement and illness perceptions sets the stage for the development of more effective intervention strategies. To describe the illness perceptions of community-dwelling people with stroke in the first 2 yr poststroke; specifically, to examine whether illness perceptions are associated with activity engagement and to explore the moderating role of gender in these relationships. Cross-sectional study. Participants were recruited from eight rehabilitation settings in Beijing, China. 202 community dwellers with stroke. Activity engagement and illness perceptions were measured with the Mandarin version of the Assessment of Life Habits and the Chinese version of the Stroke-Specific Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised, respectively. Participants' demographic information, cognitive status, and motor function were also collected. Stronger perceptions of consequences and controllability were related to better performance in activity engagement at the personal level, and stronger perceptions of illness coherence were related to better performance in activity engagement at the societal level. In addition, gender differences in the relationship between illness perceptions and activity engagement were described. How people with stroke perceived their conditions dictated their levels of activity engagement in their community of residence. The findings suggest that understanding clients' illness perceptions may assist practitioners in developing comprehensive, targeted interventions to improve activity engagement and maximize recovery after stroke. Future studies are needed to explore the gender effect of illness perceptions on activity engagement in people with stroke. What This Article Adds: This study identified the relationships between illness perceptions and level of activity engagement in real-life environments in people with stroke. In addition to motor and cognitive interventions, providing opportunities for clients to gain a better understanding of stroke would facilitate their activity engagement in their real-life environment.

Media coverage of climate change, eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behavior: Experimental evidence and the resilience paradox

As a risk amplification station, media coverage affects people's concerns about environmental hazards and mitigation behaviors. Substantial evidence has revealed that media coverage is a crucial predictor of eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors. However, few studies have explored the causal relationship between them and whether the resilience paradox applies to exposure to media coverage of the climate crisis. To examine these questions, we conducted a preregistered experiment (Study 1, N = 284) and a cross-sectional survey (Study 2, N = 507) with Chinese youths online. The results showed that global warming news increased state eco-anxiety and donations to the environmental organization. But there was no significant link between eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behavior. The attention to climate change coverage in daily life was positively correlated with eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behavior, and eco-anxiety played a mediating role. Additionally, the resilience paradox could explain individual emotion and behavior in the face of media coverage. Individuals with high resilience felt less eco-anxious but also engaged in fewer pro-environmental behaviors. Findings suggest that we should consider the degree of eco-anxiety and individual differences when using media coverage to increase people's behavioral engagement. Future research should focus on the balance between individual well-being and environmental sustainability.

Joint Engagement in Mother-Child Dyads of Autistic and Non-Autistic Children Among Asian Indian Tamil Speaking Families.

This study profiled various levels of engagement and related communication behaviours among 50 Asian Indian Tamil autistic children(AUT) and their mothers. The interaction was compared with two groups of mother-child dyads of non-autistic (NA) children, 50 in each group, matched for chronological age (CA), and for language level (LL). Results indicated that despite mother's efforts to engage with their children, autistic children were often 'engaged with objects' or remained 'unengaged' due to children's preference for solitary play, while NA children were often engaged in 'co-ordinated' and 'people engagement'. Across the three groups, mothers predominantly took the lead and dominated the interaction, irrespective of children's language levels. These initiations by the mothers were often to provide instructions and to ask 'What' questions. Autistic children initiated communication predominantly to ask for an object and responded often in the form of negations and protests with limited verbal output or non-verbally. Most of the communication behaviours of both children and mothers in AUT group was quantitatively and qualitatively different when compared to those in both the NA groups, indicating unique nature of interactions despite matching for CA or LL. The observations from the study highlights the need for considering adult's contingent behaviours also, while assessing communication skills of autistic children in order to provide effective intervention.

Provision of adolescent and youth-friendly services in public health facilities in Migori County, Kenya

Background: Global and national guidelines on provision of adolescent and youth-friendly services (AYFS) exist. However, the extent to which these services are provided in developing countries, including Kenya, is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to assess provision of AYFS in public health facilities in Migori County, Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed. The study setting was public health facilities in Migori County. The county has 275 health facilities, of these 159 are government owned/public health facilities. A multistage sampling of 114 public health facilities was done from which 210 healthcare providers (HCPs) were sampled using simple random sampling. Three facility in-charges were purposively selected to represent each of the county's three Levels of healthcare delivery system. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, key informant interviews guide, and Health facility observation checklists. Results: Majority 153 (74%) practiced nursing and 148 (71%) had worked at their current workstation between 1-5 years. Equitable, accessible, acceptable, appropriate, and effective AYFS are provided in the government owned public health facilities. Conclusion: Inadequate AYFS training of healthcare providers and poor implementation of existing policies including weak engagement of young people in AYFS significantly hinder the effective provision of AYFS in public health facilities.

Health Outcomes of Social Pension Expansion: A Quasi-Experiment Among Older Adults in Hong Kong.

A social pension, regarded as a reliable source of income, has the potential to significantly influence the overall wellbeing of vulnerable older adults. This study aimed to extend the understanding of the effects of social pension expansion beyond its economic impacts to encompass recipients' health status. Using three-wave data from a representative sample of older adults, we employed a quasi-experimental assessment model to evaluate the impact of a recent social pension expansion in Hong Kong on health-related consumption and health outcomes among older adults. The results of the triple difference estimations revealed that an increased social pension significantly enhanced older people's engagement in entertainment activities, utilization of healthcare services, and expenditures on preventive health products. Furthermore, the increased social pension was found to have a significant positive effect on mitigating poor self-rated health and poor sleep quality. However, it did not have a significant impact on the prevalence of depression. These findings suggest that social pension expansion should be coordinated with other policy initiatives to comprehensively improve the physical and mental health of older adults.

Which Occupations Did People Engage in during Lockdown? A European Cross-Sectional Descriptive Survey by Generation.

The primary objective was to describe the occupations people engaged in more frequently during lockdown than before the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic as a function of generation. The secondary objectives were to (i) describe the levels of importance, performance, and satisfaction for these occupations and (ii) identify factors affecting the levels of importance, performance, and satisfaction. We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey of young adults (YAs, aged 18-39), middle-aged adults (MAs, aged 40-59), and older adults (OAs, aged 60 or over). 2534 participants (YAs: 47%, MAs: 33%, and OAs: 20%) cited 4500 occupations. The occupations in which people most engaged were leisure occupations (67%), followed by productive occupations (31%) and then self-care (2%) occupations. YAs gave a median (interquartile range) importance score of 8 (6; 9) to leisure, 8 (7; 10) to productivity, and 8 (7; 10) to self-care. MAs gave a median importance score of 8 (6; 10) to leisure, 8 (7; 10) to productivity, and 8 (7; 10) to self-care. OAs gave a median importance score of 8 (7; 10) to leisure, 8 (7; 9) to productivity, and 9 (8; 10) to self-care. In a pre-/postlockdown comparison, the changes in performance scores among YAs were +5 (3; 6) for leisure, +4 (2; 5) for productivity, and +4 (3; 6) for self-care. Among MAs, these changes were, respectively, +4 (3; 6), +3 (2; 5), and +4.5 (3; 6). Among OAs, these changes were, respectively, +3 (1; 5) for leisure, +3 (2; 5) for productivity, and +2 (0; 4) for self-care. The changes in satisfaction scores among YAs were +3 (0; 5) for leisure, +3 (0; 5) for productivity, and +3 (1; 6) for self-care. Among MAs, these changes were, respectively, +3 (0; 5), +2 (0; 4), and +5 (0; 6). Among OAs, these changes were, respectively, +2 (0; 4), +2 (0; 4), and +2 (0; 4). Lockdown led to stronger engagements in quiet leisure and alternative forms of socialization. Occupational therapists may have a role in helping community-dwelling people to balance and structure their new daily routine.

A view from the garden: Interrupting politics of attainment and re-orienting education towards sustainable futures

There is growing recognition amongst scholars that addressing the current global ecological crisis requires a new ecological awareness, and a different model of education, in order to live together on a ‘planet under pressure’. Against this backdrop, several studies internationally have pointed to initiatives such as school gardens, with the capacity to address sustainability issues, enhance participation, engagement and responsibility of young people from different backgrounds and locales. However, questions remain about the extent to which garden spaces may leverage current educational discourses, and the work of schools, to meet the needs of all. This article draws upon interviews with teachers, head teachers and student teachers who had been involved in growing food with children in school garden spaces. Drawing on the concept of ‘learning ecology’, data illustrate the co-existence of multiple views and purposes of engaging children with gardening in school, and the impact of linear discourses of education framing the teachers’ gaze. Findings from the study are twofold: (i) they illustrate that gardens have the potential to interrupt economic discourses around attainment defined as cognitive gains and (ii) that such awareness is paramount to re-direct attention to that which is often marginalised and forgotten in educational policy discourses.

Towards responsive policy and actions to address non-communicable disease risks amongst adolescents in Indonesia: insights from key stakeholders

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, mental disorder and chronic lung conditions are the leading cause of death and disability in Indonesia. Adolescence is when risks for NCDs emerge and it is also an important life stage for intervention, yet young people are often at the margins of NCD policy and actions. This study aimed to understand how policies and actions should address NCD risks (tobacco smoking, inadequate physical activity, and diet) for adolescents in Indonesia, and how young people can be meaningfully involved. Qualitative in-depth interviews over videoconference (n=21) were conducted in English or Bahasa with stakeholders in Indonesia. Participants included policymakers, implementation partners, and advocates who were focused on adolescent health or NCDs. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, and thematically analysed using NVivo12. Findings were disseminated to participants for validation and feedback. Youth participants (n=7) attended an additional workshop and considered recommendations and actions arising from this research. Participants identified that government and non-government organisations are acting on NCDs in Indonesia, but few of the existing initiatives target adolescents, and adolescent services rarely addressed NCD risks. Participants also felt that policies to protect adolescents from NCD risks (i.e., smoke-free areas in public) were not always enforced. For programs or initiatives focused on adolescent health, those that had engaged adolescents as co-creators and leaders were perceived to be more successful. As such, participants recommended more meaningful engagement of young people, including young people's leadership of initiatives. Additional recommendations included the need for intersectoral engagement and a 'whole-of-government' approach to prevention given the complex determinants of NCD risks, and the need for evidence-based actions that are underpinned by quality data to enable monitoring of progress. There is a recognised need to strengthen policies and actions to address NCD risks amongst adolescents in Indonesia. Meaningful youth engagement that allows young people to take the lead, intersectoral actions, and evidence-based data driven responses were key strategies identified. UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office.

Recruitment and Engagement of Indigenous Peoples in Brain-Related Health Research

Recruitment and Engagement of Indigenous Peoples in Brain-Related Health Research

The engagement of older people living with chronic lung disease in a peer support community-based exercise programme: A qualitative study.

Chronic lung disease is a common and complex condition. Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes-either hospital-based or in the community are recommended in evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. To explore the experience of older people with chronic lung disease involved in a peer support community-based exercise maintenance programme. Participants were a part of the Lungs in Action programme run in a local community leisure centre through Lung Foundation Australia. All the programme participants (n = 25) were invited by an independent person through email and/or letter to participate in the study and provided with a participant information and consent form. Participants who returned consent forms were scheduled for group interviews. Participants were recruited over a 2-week period between 30 August and 13 September 2022. We conducted qualitative group interviews using a semi-structured interview guide to explore the experiences of older people living with chronic lung disease. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. A total of 14 participants (eight female and six male) aged between 64 and 86 years were interviewed. Three themes emerged from the data: motivation, authentic social engagement, and sustainable achievement. Motivation stemmed from the participants' perceived health benefits, and from the trainers' motivation and encouragement. Participants discussed how sharing experiences created an environment of trust and understanding, fun and friendship. Social engagement and creating authentic relationships were key aspects raised by participants. Feeling more confident in themselves and being able to accomplish physical tasks, making activities of daily living more manageable featured highly in participants' responses. Community-based peer support exercise groups enable environments for people with chronic lung disease to maintain physical fitness, and to connect with others to form friendships and have fun.

Exploring student engagement in task-based and communicative language classrooms

This study investigates the engagement of young people in foreign language learning. Specifically, engagement is defined as a metaconstruct consisting of the following components: cognitive, emotional, and social. An attempt was made to quantify these individual engagement components within task-based and communicative-oriented lessons. We employed electrocardiographic and accelerometric measurements to monitor learners’ physiological responses to engagement during regular German classes. The second part of the project was a questionnaire-based study measuring the subjective opinions of learners about their engagement. The results of the research support the adoption of a task-based approach. We observed the highest level of engagement during productive tasks, which can serve as a rationale for teachers to increase the number of productive tasks compared to receptive ones. Moreover, including the peer-learning component in the activities appeared to be of considerable importance due to its role in building intrinsic motivation to learn and in stimulating the growth of social competences.