Photovoice Method Research Articles

Experiences of health and aging for younger adults in long-term care: a social-ecological multi-method approach

There is an increasing number of younger adults with disabilities becoming residents of long-term care (LTC) homes across Atlantic Canada. Moving younger adults into LTC is less-than-ideal and presents an immediate challenge for LTC homes to meet the unique health-related needs of younger residents. This study explored the lived experiences of younger residents in a Nova Scotian LTC setting in terms of their long-term health and aging-in-place needs. Guided by the social-ecological model, this study gathered first-person experiences through photovoice and interview methods. Eleven residents, aged 36 to 60 years, illustrated how their health and aging processes were affected by multiple interacting individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors. Participants identified how they wished to be supported within LTC to improve comprehensive health services. This study demonstrates that younger LTC residents can, and should, be part of the planning for their own specialized healthcare and housing to support positive health and aging. Points of Interest There are many factors that influence the experience of living and aging in long-term care homes for younger adults with disabilities. These factors relate to the resident as an individual, their relationships while living in long-term care, and the environment of the long-term care home as a place to live. Younger long-term care residents need to be involved in the decisions being made on how to improve their experiences living in long-term care homes over time. There are different ways that younger residents can be involved in these decisions. For example, taking and presenting photographs to long-term care managers to show their issues and concerns as well as illustrate the possible opportunities to make long-term care homes a better place for them to live.

Perceived Role of Built and Social Environments on Childhood Obesity: A PhotoVoice Approach With Latino Migrant Farmworking Families.

The childhood obesity epidemic in the United States is well documented; however, limited attention has been given to Latino children from migrant farmworking families, and there is little research on how environmental and social factors contribute to overweight among this population. This article presents qualitative themes related to the role of the built and social environments in influencing diet, physical activity, and ultimately, health and weight status. Themes were identified through the PhotoVoice method, with 13 parent participants representing 30 children from a rural farmworking community in Southwest Florida.

The evolution of community-based rehabilitation (CBR) programmes: a call for mixed evaluation methodologies

PurposeFor the past four decades, there is no evidence of a consensus on the suitable community-based rehabilitation (CBR) evaluation methodologies. To this end, the purpose of this study is to provide a narrative review on CBR evaluations and the potential of photovoice method when used alone and when used in combination with quality of life assessment tools as CBR evaluation methodologies.Design/methodology/approachA narrative review was undertaken, but including some aspects of scoping review methodology.FindingsThirty-three full-text articles were included for review. Three key findings were an overview of the evolution of CBR evaluation; the use of photovoice method in CBR evaluation and the use of photovoice method in combination with quality of life assessment tools in CBR evaluation.Research limitations/implicationsPhotovoice methodology was found to be participatory in nature and as has the potential to elicit the experiences of persons with disabilities. However, photovoice falls short of measuring the quality of life of persons with disabilities, thus will need to be collaborated with another assessment tool. A combination of photovoice and World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF and WHOQOL-Dis assessment has a potential to give an adequate representation of the voices of persons with disabilities and their quality of life.Originality/valueThere is need for changes in CBR evaluation methodologies in response to the evolution of disability models from medical model to human rights model. Thus CBR evaluation methodologies should embrace the diversity among persons with disabilities in interpreting life experiences and quality of life.

'This is the place where I can be alone, no tension:' Photovoice evidence for adolescent perceptions of their microsystem and psychological adjustment.

Adolescents experience myriad emotions which occur in relation to their immediate social space which may shape their perceptions of members within the microsystem. The photovoice method uniquely provides participants with the means to capture their life through the lens of a camera while also enabling them to express emotions and meanings they attach to their particular life situations. We explore the various emotions adolescents attach to the spaces they occupy and how they link them to socialization in the context of the microsystem. This study was conducted in rural and urban areas of Udupi taluk, southern India. A total of 21 participants, ranging from early to late adolescence participated and provided multiple forms of data with 112 photographs, 21 journals on their daily interactions and one-on-one interviews facilitated using the SHOWeD model. The analytical method involved compiling visual data from photographs, journal content and interview data pertaining to each participant as a single data file, developing codes using ATLAS.ti, version 8, and further developing sub-themes and themes as they emerged into narratives. Our study was able to elicit emotions and meanings that adolescents attached to social interactions with gendered nuances specific to the Indian cultural setting. Future applications of the photovoice methodology on research among adolescents have also been discussed.

Reframing Photovoice: Building on the Method to Develop More Equitable and Responsive Research Practices.

An increasing focus on health equity across a number of health disciplines is generating more consistent prioritizations of trauma-informed approaches, cultural responsiveness, and community engagement. These foci have heightened interest in photovoice as a participatory research method-particularly in research among vulnerable populations or related to sensitive topics. Photovoice's ballooning popularity can be traced in part to the alignment of its aims and practices with broad health equity goals; at the same time, its singular status reveals a lack of similarly creative, adaptive methods for use in vulnerable or sensitive contexts. In addition, photovoice is not without its concerning limitations, and its increasing usage warrants not only caution, but responsive innovation. To that end, this article draws on the extensive photovoice literature, as well as on the author's own work at the intersections of public health and the arts, to offer an overview of four photovoice limitations and related concerns. It then highlights the method's untapped potential by identifying under-researched qualities in need of development-noting these as opportunities to learn from (and further adapt) the photovoice method. Finally, the article pulls limitations and benefits together to frame photovoice as a basis for the continued innovation, study, and development of more equitable approaches to health research and practice.

Photovoice as a Multilevel Tool for Gender and Sexual Identity Exploration

Gender and sexual identity exploration (GSIE) consists of engaging in activities that allow an individual to discover their values, preferences, and boundaries related to gender and sexuality. Photovoice is a participatory research method that incorporates an intrapersonal, interpersonal, communal, and political approach to engaging with a given topic. The purpose of this article is to use existing research to illustrate how using photovoice method for GSIE does involve individuals in exploring gender and sexual identity from multiple levels of social interaction (micro, mezzo, and macro). This approach to GSIE fosters a dynamic, de-stigmatizing, and advocacy-oriented engagement with GSIE. We use examples from photovoice studies to illustrate how photovoice method uses a multilevel approach to GSIE and the positive implications of this practice. The article ends with practice and research recommendations for employing photovoice to support GSIE.

Embracing conflicts for interpersonal competence development in project-based sustainability courses

PurposeAdvanced skills in communication, teamwork and stakeholder engagement are widely recognized as important success factors for advancing sustainability. While project-based learning formats claim to advance such skills, there is little empirical evidence that demonstrates how interpersonal competence is being developed. This study aims to describe and explains teaching and learning processes of project-based sustainability courses that contribute to the development of interpersonal competence as one of the key competencies in sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThis study on an international project-based learning course adopted a multi-method case study approach, triangulating observations, semi-structured interviews and focus groups supported by Photovoice method through which students tracked their learning processes. Data collection and analysis followed a grounded theory approach.FindingsLearning through and from conflicts within a learning community can foster competence development in teamwork, communication and stakeholder engagement. This study identified inner and outer conflicts (within individuals versus between individuals or groups) as potential drivers of learning processes, depending on strategies applied to address these conflicts.Originality valueThe value of this study is fourfold: it demonstrates how conflicts can be leveraged for students’ competence development; it provides in-depth empirical data from multiple perspectives, it discusses the findings in the context of teaching and learning theories, and it demonstrates an application of the Photovoice method to track and improve teaching and learning processes.

Photovoice: documenting lives in aquaculture and fisheries through a gendered photo lens

Photovoice is a research approach in which participants use photography to tell stories of issues important to them. Is Photovoice a suitable feminist research method for gender in fisheries and aquaculture? Literature on feminist research methodologies was reviewed to establish four criteria, namely, does Photovoice: (1) embody feminist research approaches? (2) use safe methods and sharing of results? (3) enable inclusion and empowerment for women? (4) reach decision makers as a potential vehicle for change? Forty articles on Photovoice based research were assessed for their relevance to the four criteria and 24 of these selected for detailed review. The evidence is that Photovoice can engage and empower women – as researchers - to gain insights into their own worlds, widen their community networks, reflect on current reality, and portray through photos and explanations what would be a preferred better reality. It also provides the primary researcher an ‘inside looking out’ perspective. Photovoice methods are aligned with feminist research approaches because they consider ethical issues to safeguard and potentially empower participants. Participants can gain empowerment by accessing decision makers who are normally beyond their reach, although action and change is not guaranteed. In developed, and developing countries, where the majority of women are employed, Photovoice research is applicable to fisheries and aquaculture.

"Just because they aren't human doesn't mean they aren't alive": The methodological potential of photovoice to examine human-nature relations as a source of resilience and health among urban Indigenous youth.

Photovoice has been widely used as a participatory visual research methodology within the social sciences and health research. Given photovoice's critical and pedagogical potential, its advancement within Indigenous resilience and health research has been particularly prevalent. However, it has largely failed to problematize the concept of 'voice' to the extent of theorizing and engaging with the 'voices' of other kinds of life with consequences for theory and method. In this paper we re-examine the methodological potential and utility of photovoice methods to include other-than-human 'voices' during the empirical study of place-making, human-nature relations, and resilience and health. We analyze photo-narratives from a community-based, participatory research project involving Indigenous youth in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in order to revisit 1) what we did to produce those images and 2) what we saw and heard in images. Our results suggest that when photovoice methods consider a relational and affective understanding of subjective reality during research practice, they have the capacity to capture and handle other-than-human 'voices'. Accordingly, we discuss future directions when adapting photovoice methods for the study of environmental repossession and dispossession within contested contexts of and encounters with methodological complexity, uncertainty, and emergence.

Ethics in Photovoice: A Response to Teti

Much has been written about the Photovoice method. With the pervasive uptake of this method, debates about its use and ethical considerations will continue to permeate qualitative researchers’ work. Thus, the timeliness of Teti’s 2019 paper about ethical considerations for Photovoice methods. We concur with Teti’s take on the method. We also further had the discussion on Photovoice ethics by emphasizing that (1) as Photovoice methods evolve, so too should ethical considerations, (2) though processes may vary, there are standard ethical considerations that must be adhered to in Photovoice research, and (3) researcher intentionality is important in considering the digital image as a driver of social change. The potential for Photovoice to contribute to social change remains appealing, especially given the current disparaging economic, political, social, and environmental climate.

Measuring Our Success in Teaching Latinos about Asthma and Home Environments: Lessons Learned from an Intervention Developed through Photovoice

Childhood asthma management is an environmental justice concern for immigrant Latino parents. Photovoice methods have empowered our community-based participatory research (CBPR) team of Latino parents of children with asthma to investigate and educate others about indoor environmental threats in our community. Data collection and management in evaluating interventions in such settings is under-described in the literature. We developed a culturally tailored educational intervention, guided by social cognitive theory, using photographs from our archive. We pilot tested this intervention with a convenience sample of Latino parents (n = 19) attending an English language literacy class. We designed and implemented a pre- and post-evaluation survey on self-efficacy and knowledge and collected observational notes. However, we found that the responses to the knowledge questions were of limited value. We describe the lessons we learned regarding data collection, management and evaluation. We provide suggestions for improving survey design and data management for culturally tailored educational interventions.

Using Photovoice to Improve Healthy Eating for Children Participating in an Obesity Prevention Program.

Background: Children have benefited from participation in obesity prevention programs. Aims: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of a healthy eating intervention for children in after-school programs and to use photovoice to document change in eating behavior. Methods: Forty-two children in three after-school programs participated. Children participated in lessons from an existing program to learn about healthy eating. A mixed methods study was conducted, using surveys to assess parent and child perceptions, and photovoice to capture children’s perceptions of how they and their family changed eating habits. Member-checking was used to verify themes in the data. Twenty parents completed surveys evaluating the program. Results: Findings indicated that children learned program information, were interested in eating healthier (more fruits and vegetables), and quantitative data revealed there was a pre-post trend for eating more fruits at home. They reported that using the photovoice method helped them to monitor their behavior and helped them improve personal and family eating habits. Member checking confirmed themes. A majority of parents were satisfied with the program and reported that their children were discussing what they learned at home. Conclusions: Findings suggested that the photovoice methodology helped children to change in a positive way, increasing their agency in improving their own health and that of their family. Assessing longitudinal change in attitudes about healthy eating and eating behaviors will provide information about whether children maintain gains in knowledge and healthy eating over time.

Satisfaction of Restituted Farms Beneficiaries with Performance of Farms in Waterberg District, South Africa

South African government guided by the Restitution of Land Rights Act 22 of 1994, implemented land restitution as one of the pillars of land reform programme. The mandate was to promote land ownership and equality between white and black people. This study determined the extent to which farm beneficiaries are satisfied with the performance of the restituted farms in Waterberg District. Quantitative approach was used to examine closed-ended data using stratified random sampling procedure. Interviews, photo-voice and non-participatory observation methods were additionally used to collect data through qualitative approach. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25) was used to compute descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations while content analysis was used for the qualitative data. The study revealed that participation in the restituted farms was dominated by males (73.0 %). About 77 % of the farm beneficiaries were not satisfied with the performance of the farms and 60.5 % of them confirmed that their livelihoods were not changed due to lack of farm income. Moreover, (90.3 %) reported that farms did not create job opportunities for beneficiaries. It is recommended that intervention strategy, be implemented to enhance farm performance that will satisfy farm beneficiaries.

Leveraging the Photovoice Methodology for Critical Realist Theorizing

Photovoice is a visual research methodology that integrates images and words to encourage the exploration of the experiences, perceptions, and meaning-making processes of individuals on various social phenomena. As a participatory qualitative methodology, Photovoice has been used within the interpretivist paradigm to explore various [public] health and social phenomena to enhance participants’ (co-investigators’) engagement and to lobby for policy. Despite its exponential growth and extensive application in the last two decades, its potential usefulness in critical realist-informed studies is unexplored. Herein, we highlight the epistemological and methodological alignment of the Photovoice methodology with the critical realist philosophy of science regarding the understanding of social phenomena through meaning-making. Drawing on the authors’ work on adolescents’ (non)adherence behavior on antiretroviral therapy, we illustrate the application of Photovoice methods in a critical realist-informed qualitative study. The emancipatory potential of the Photovoice methodology aligns with that of critical realist epistemology as they privilege participants’ (co-investigators’) knowledge generation and learning to better understand and take control of their situation - “integrated” knowledge translation. Methodologically, Photovoice provides a useful dialogue strategy for promoting discussions between the researcher and the co-investigators to obtain value-impregnated accounts to inform critical realist theorizing. The Photovoice methodology is appropriate for theorizing in critical realist research and especially suitable when engaging with suppressed or marginalized populations.

“It’s Not Just a Picture When Lives are at Stake: Ethical Considerations and Photovoice Methods with Indigenous Peoples Engaged in Street Lifestyles”.

Photovoice is an arts-based, participatory research method in which participants take photographs to document their understanding of the research question. It engages participants in a process of creating and sharing photographs and dialogue, supports connections with others and can be a key tool for policy change advocacy. This method has grown in popularity over the years and has been heralded as ideal for research with Indigenous communities and other marginalized populations. While photovoice offers clear benefits, little research has considered the ethical dilemmas that can arise from this method from an Indigenous specific lens. This paper describes the photovoice approach and its benefits, notably its engagement and empowerment aspects. We then explore the ethical challenges photovoice raises drawing on a recent study that investigates the ways in which Indigenous men engage in street lifestyles. We conclude by offering lessons learned to guide the work of researchers using photovoice with Indigenous peoples or other marginalized populations.

“It’s Not Just a Picture When Lives are at Stake: Ethical Considerations and Photovoice Methods with Indigenous Peoples Engaged in Street Lifestyles”.

Photovoice is an arts-based, participatory research method in which participants take photographs to document their understanding of the research question. It engages participants in a process of creating and sharing photographs and dialogue, supports connections with others and can be a key tool for policy change advocacy. This method has grown in popularity over the years and has been heralded as ideal for research with Indigenous communities and other marginalized populations. While photovoice offers clear benefits, little research has considered the ethical dilemmas that can arise from this method from an Indigenous specific lens. This paper describes the photovoice approach and its benefits, notably its engagement and empowerment aspects. We then explore the ethical challenges photovoice raises drawing on a recent study that investigates the ways in which Indigenous men engage in street lifestyles. We conclude by offering lessons learned to guide the work of researchers using photovoice with Indigenous peoples or other marginalized populations.

“You are so ugly, you whore”- girls in rural Sweden discuss and address gendered violence

ABSTRACT Girls face gendered violence on an everyday basis, and this may have severe health consequences. Purpose: The aim of this study was to learn about gendered violence facing girls in rural Sweden in their everyday life, as it is experienced by the girls themselves. Method: Using the photovoice method, we worked with 35 girls in an upper secondary school, aged between 16 and 20, to explore how they navigated social spaces and developed strategies for increased safety. Results: Thematic analysis revealed two main themes (constant fear and strategies) and four sub themes (fear of being raped, fear of being labelled and excluded, being “appropriately” sexually active, and appearance and performance for increased feelings of safety). Conclusion: We considered how gendered violence facing girls led to fear and marginalization in a range of situations and interactions. Consequently, girls occupied significantly smaller social spaces compared to boys, and we argue that this was reproduced and upheld through everyday practices informed by hegemonic masculinity and performativity.

The Ethics of Technology Choice: Photovoice Methodology with Men Living in Low-Income Contexts

This article describes a two-phased reflexive ethical process initiated when choosing digital cameras for the photovoice method in research with men living in low-income contexts. While this participatory method aims to flatten power asymmetries in researcher–researched relationships, debate is needed about how pragmatic technology choices may inadvertently underscore or even reinforce participants’ situated experiences of disempowerment and constraint. Critically engaging with an ethics of care approach to decision-making, we unpick what superficially appears to be a straightforward problem of method and demonstrate how pragmatic decisions may confound researchers’ efforts towards democratisation in research. We reflect on how such efforts may inadvertently obscure contextual processes shaping the potential for participants to engage in research. Our reflections demonstrate the need to take seriously all decision-making throughout the research process as integral to a wider politics of method and ethics.

Important factors to ensure wellbeing in a whole-school setting – a photovoice study

Abstract Background The whole-school approach focuses on promoting health and wellbeing for pupils, employees, and parents. In Norway, several schools are now developing such an approach and opening the school premises for community activities. The aim of this study was to investigate what pupils, employees and parents themselves experience as important factors to ensure wellbeing in a whole-school setting. More knowledge about such factors as perceived by the users could give important information in order to ensure health promotion in other schools wanting to implement a whole-school approach. Methods The participatory method Photovoice was used. Seven pupils, six employees, and four parents at Alvimhaugen Primary School, Norway photographed what they perceived as factors generating wellbeing at the school premises. The school is located in an area with challenges related to living conditions. The pictures were used as basis for six focus group discussions by the participants. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed using Malterud’s Systematic Text Condensation and Drew & Guillemins framework for image analysis. The results were discussed within the framework of Sense of Coherence (SOC). Results The factors that emerged as important for wellbeing among all stakeholders were interconnected. Important factors were the built and natural environment, activities before/during/after school hours, and organisational characteristics. Further, these factors were associated with a sense of security, belonging, social support and manageability expressed by the stakeholders. Conclusions The factors identified are all known to be central in strengthening SOC. These factors are therefore important for promoting health, not only in pupils but also in employees and parents. The whole-school approach could contribute to address complex public health issues and wellbeing, and might be especially important in schools in deprived areas. Key messages The built and natural environment, activities before/during/after school hours, and organisational characteristics are all important aspects to ensure wellbeing in a whole-school approach. The whole-school approach could contribute to promote wellbeing, and might be especially important in schools in deprived areas.

Identification of Cultural and Transcultural Health Assets Among Moroccan, Romanian and Spanish Adolescents Through Photovoice.

The health assets model focuses on recognizing the strengths, capacities and resources of individuals and their communities to improve health control processes. This study focuses on identifying and comparing the transcultural and cultural assets in health as accounted for by 45 young Romanians, Moroccans and Spaniards living in southern Spain. The research uses a photovoice method to understand what young people consider to boost their health. Of all the photographs taken, each young person selected the six most relevant images, and individual interviews were carried out. Both images and interviews were analysed qualitatively using Atlas Ti. We identified 40 transcultural assets in health that were common among the 3 cultural groups and 7 cultural assets that were specific to cultural groups. The seven assets include religion and spirituality, cultural symbols, medicine, traditional food, thinness, freedom/autonomy and plants. The definition of transcultural and cultural health assets facilitates the development of educational health interventions that reinforce the strengths of others in a culturally sensitive manner.