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Marks L, Mitchell J, Rowbotham S, Laird Y, Smith BJ. Citizen science as a vehicle to address multiple policy objectives: Case studies from Australia. Health Promot J Austr 2024. [PMID: 38764233 DOI: 10.1002/hpja.866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024] Open
Abstract
ISSUE ADDRESSED Despite increasing interest in citizen science as an approach to engage members of the public in research and decision making about health and wellbeing, there is a lack of practical evidence to guide policy and practice organisations to utilise these approaches. In this study we investigated how and why citizen science came to be incorporated into the work of two policy organisations. METHODS We offer two in-depth case studies of Australian government organisations which have utilised citizen science in environmental and healthy ageing policy. Interviews with organisational informants and relevant documents were analysed inductively to explore how citizen science came to be adopted, legitimised and supported. RESULTS Citizen science was utilised to address multiple organisational objectives, including increasing community participation in science; enhancing individuals' wellbeing, learning, and skills, and generating data to support research and policy in a relatively cost-effective manner. In both cases, grant funding was a mechanism to support citizen science, with project delivery facilitated through academic-policy partnerships and led by external academic or community partners. CONCLUSION Although citizen science is relatively new in policy and practice settings, this study underscores the value of these approaches in realising co-benefits for organisations, academics, and community members. The support and advocacy of senior managers as 'champions', and a willingness to invest in trialling new approaches to address policy problems are necessary ingredients to foster acceptance and legitimacy of citizen science. SO WHAT?: Citizen science initiatives can be strategically utilised by health promotion organisations to enact priorities related to genuine community involvement, support research and innovation and facilitate collaboration and partnerships between academic, policy and community stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Marks
- Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Jo Mitchell
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Samantha Rowbotham
- Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, Australia
| | - Yvonne Laird
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ben J Smith
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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Wang G, Chang F, Gu Z, Kasraian D, van Wesemael PJV. Co-designing community-level integral interventions for active ageing: a systematic review from the lens of community-based participatory research. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:649. [PMID: 38424550 PMCID: PMC10905784 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18195-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND While community-level interventions for promoting active ageing have received increasing attention and there is a trend to leverage technology to support traditional physical or social interventions, little hands-on guidance exists for designing these integral interventions. This study aimed to examine the interventions reported in the literature guided by Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles. The goal is to extract insights that inform future practices in co-designing integral interventions for active ageing. METHODS The systematic review focused on community-level interventions promoting active ageing that integrated physical, social, and digital elements, i.e., integral interventions. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The included interventions were analysed abductively based on the CBPR principles. RESULTS A total of 13 studies were included, and 24 design considerations were generated under eight categories. Further reflection identified the interrelated nature of these design considerations and pinpointed the gaps in current research. This study highlights the urgency and importance of sharing recruitment methods and resource allocation details, recording and reporting collaboration specifics, and disseminating findings to stakeholders beyond academia. CONCLUSIONS This study offers valuable insights and practical guidance to researchers and practitioners developing community-level integral interventions for active ageing. The findings also serve as a starting point for accumulating knowledge and practice in co-designing integral interventions for active ageing at the community level. The next crucial phase involves evaluating these design considerations within real-world cases to assess their applicability and identify potential areas for improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gubing Wang
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands.
- Department of Built Environment, Urbanism and Urban Architecture, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands.
| | - Fangyuan Chang
- School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zhenyu Gu
- School of Design, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dena Kasraian
- Department of Built Environment, Urbanism and Urban Architecture, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Pieter J V van Wesemael
- Department of Built Environment, Urbanism and Urban Architecture, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
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Wilkinson C, Llewellyn A, McCabe C. Is there a role for citizen science in death and dying research? Front Public Health 2023; 11:1241239. [PMID: 37794893 PMCID: PMC10546016 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1241239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought conversations about death and dying to the fore in a way not experienced for generations. This raises questions around perceptions of death and dying; the role of healthcare and the community in care; and the use of digital media for information and support. Public engagement can provoke a two-way conversation between researchers and the public and includes techniques that can engage the community not only with the topic but also in research. This perspective article considers the potential role of citizen science in death and dying research, including considerations around its potential benefits and constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Wilkinson
- Science Communication Unit, College of Health, Science and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Alison Llewellyn
- Centre for Health and Clinical Research, College of Health, Science and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Dorothy House Hospice, Winsley, United Kingdom
| | - Candy McCabe
- Centre for Health and Clinical Research, College of Health, Science and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Dorothy House Hospice, Winsley, United Kingdom
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Marks L, Smith BJ, Mitchell J, Laird Y, Rowbotham S. The case for citizen science in public health policy and practice: a mixed methods study of policymaker and practitioner perspectives and experiences. Health Res Policy Syst 2023; 21:31. [PMID: 37127620 PMCID: PMC10152701 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-023-00978-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Citizen science (CS) is increasingly being utilised to involve the public in public health research, but little is known about whether and how CS can address the needs of policy and practice stakeholders in health promotion and chronic disease prevention. METHODS Using a mixed methods approach we conducted an online survey (n = 83) and semi-structured interviews (n = 21) with policy and practice stakeholders across Australia to explore how CS approaches are perceived and applied in chronic disease prevention, how CS aligns with existing approaches to community engagement, and how the uptake of CS can be supported within policy and practice settings. RESULTS Most participants had heard of CS, and while few had experience of using CS, there was widespread support for this approach, with many seeing it as complementary to other community engagement approaches. CS was seen as providing: (a) a robust framework for engagement; (b) access to rich data; (c) opportunities for more meaningful engagement; and (d) a mutually beneficial approach for stakeholders and community members. However, stakeholders identified a need to weigh benefits against potential risks and challenges including competing organisational priorities, resourcing and expertise, data quality and rigour, governance, and engagement. CONCLUSIONS To expand the use of CS, stakeholders identified the need for increased awareness, acceptance, and capacity for CS within public health organisations, greater access to supporting tools and technology, and evidence on processes, feasibility and impacts to enhance the visibility and legitimacy of CS approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Marks
- Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
| | - Ben J Smith
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Jo Mitchell
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yvonne Laird
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Samantha Rowbotham
- Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Tcymbal A, Abu-Omar K, Hartung V, Bußkamp A, Comito C, Rossmann C, Meinzinger D, Reimers AK. Interventions simultaneously promoting social participation and physical activity in community living older adults: A systematic review. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1048496. [PMID: 36568739 PMCID: PMC9768837 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1048496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In recent years, there has been a global trend toward an increase in life expectancy and the proportion of elderly people among the population. In this regard, it becomes important to promote active and healthy aging. Physical inactivity and social isolation are both risk factors of many chronic illnesses and highly prevalent in older adults. This challenges communities to develop interventions that reduce these risk factors among elderly populations. The main aims of this study were to summarize community-based interventions that aim to simultaneously promote social participation and physical activity in older adults and to examine their effects. Methods We performed a systematic review based on the PRISMA standards. Literature searches were conducted in six scientific databases in July 2021. Articles were included if they had an interventional design, focused on older adults living in the community and measured social participation and physical activity as an outcome. The data were summarized narratively due to the heterogeneity of studies and the variety of outcome measures. Results Overall, 46 articles published in English were included. The studies were grouped in (1) interventions with main focus on physical activity promotion; (2) social activities that included a physical activity component; (3) health behavior interventions/ health education interventions; (4) multicomponent interventions; (5) environmental interventions. The majority of the reviewed studies reported positive effects of interventions on physical activity and/or social participation. No study reported negative effects. Analysis of quantitative studies showed that multicomponent interventions have great positive effects on both outcomes. In qualitative studies positive effects were found regardless of intervention type. Conclusion This review summarizes the evidence about the effects of community-based interventions that aim to promote social participation and physical activity in older adults. Multicomponent interventions seem to be most suitable for simultaneous promotion of physical activity and social participation. However, high variability in measurement methods used to assess both social participation and physical activity in the included studies made it difficult to compare studies and to indicate the most effective. Systematic review registration www.crd.york.ac.uk, identifier: PROSPERO [CRD42021268270].
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonina Tcymbal
- Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Karim Abu-Omar
- Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Verena Hartung
- Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | | | - Chiara Comito
- Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA), Köln, Germany
| | | | - Diana Meinzinger
- Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Anne Kerstin Reimers
- Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
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Marks L, Laird Y, Trevena H, Smith BJ, Rowbotham S. A Scoping Review of Citizen Science Approaches in Chronic Disease Prevention. Front Public Health 2022; 10:743348. [PMID: 35615030 PMCID: PMC9125037 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.743348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Citizen science approaches, which involve members of the public as active collaborators in scientific research, are increasingly being recognized for their potential benefits in chronic disease prevention. However, understanding the potential applicability, feasibility and impacts of these approaches is necessary if they are to be more widely used. This study aimed to synthesize research that has applied and evaluated citizen science approaches in chronic disease prevention and identify key questions, gaps, and opportunities to inform future work in this field. Methods We searched six databases (Scopus, Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed, and CINAHL) in January 2022 to identify articles on the use of citizen science in prevention. We extracted and synthesized data on key characteristics of citizen science projects, including topics, aims and level of involvement of citizen scientists, as well as methods and findings of evaluations of these projects. Results Eighty-one articles reported on citizen science across a variety of health issues, predominantly physical activity and/or nutrition. Projects primarily aimed to identify problems from the perspective of community members; generate and prioritize solutions; develop, test or evaluate interventions; or build community capacity. Most projects were small-scale, and few were co-produced with policy or practice stakeholders. While around half of projects included an evaluation component, overall, there was a lack of robust, in-depth evaluations of the processes and impacts of citizen science projects. Conclusions Citizen science approaches are increasingly being used in chronic disease prevention to identify and prioritize community-focused solutions, mobilize support and advocacy, and empower communities to take action to support their health and wellbeing. However, to realize the potential of this approach more attention needs to be paid to demonstrating the feasibility of using citizen science approaches at scale, and to rigorous evaluation of impacts from using these approaches for the diverse stakeholders involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah Marks
- Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yvonne Laird
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Helen Trevena
- Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ben J. Smith
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Samantha Rowbotham
- Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Abstract
A loss of physical functioning (i.e., a low physical capacity and/or a low physical activity) is a common feature in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To date, the primary care physiotherapy and specialized pulmonary rehabilitation are clearly underused, and limited to patients with a moderate to very severe degree of airflow limitation (GOLD stage 2 or higher). However, improved referral rates are a necessity to lower the burden for patients with COPD and for society. Therefore, a multidisciplinary group of healthcare professionals and scientists proposes a new model for referral of patients with COPD to the right type of exercise-based care, irrespective of the degree of airflow limitation. Indeed, disease instability (recent hospitalization, yes/no), the burden of disease (no/low, mild/moderate or high), physical capacity (low or preserved) and physical activity (low or preserved) need to be used to allocate patients to one of the six distinct patient profiles. Patients with profile 1 or 2 will not be referred for physiotherapy; patients with profiles 3-5 will be referred for primary care physiotherapy; and patients with profile 6 will be referred for screening for specialized pulmonary rehabilitation. The proposed Dutch model has the intention to get the right patient with COPD allocated to the right type of exercise-based care and at the right moment.
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