An arts-based educational exhibit on menopausal hot flashes

Designing for Dissemination and Sustainability to Promote Equitable Impacts on Health

Designing for dissemination and sustainability (D4DS) refers to principles and methods for enhancing the fit between a health program, policy, or practice and the context in which it is intended to be adopted. In this article we first summarize the historical context of D4DS and justify the need to shift traditional health research and dissemination practices. We present a diverse literature according to a D4DS organizing schema and describe a variety of dissemination products, design processes and outcomes, and approaches to messaging, packaging, and distribution. D4DS design processes include stakeholder engagement, participatory codesign, and context and situation analysis, and leverage methods and frameworks from dissemination and implementation science, marketing and business, communications and visualarts, and systems science. Finally, we present eight recommendations to adopt a D4DS paradigm, reflecting shifts in ways of thinking, skills and approaches, and infrastructure and systems for training and evaluation.

Public survey reactions to an arts-based educational menopausal hot flash exhibit

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to obtain public survey reactions to concept art for an exhibit about menopausal hot flashes designed to stimulate learning, dispel myths, spur dialogue, and increase empathy.

METHODS

Immediately before viewing the art, participants provided demographic information and answered one open-ended question. Immediately after viewing the art, participants answered the same open-ended question, one additional open-ended question, and completed quantitative survey questions.

RESULTS

Overall, public reactions to the concept art were positive. Qualitative and quantitative data indicated that the public thought the exhibit was appealing, stimulated learning, dispelled myths, spurred desire to have conversations about hot flashes, and increased empathy for women with menopausal hot flashes.

CONCLUSIONS

The exhibit concept art was appealing and was reported to have a positive impact on the public. Study findings provide support for building the exhibit full-scale as a traveling educational resource that might change public discourse around menopausal hot flashes.