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Cooper C, Watson K, Alvarado F, Carroll AJ, Carson SL, Donenberg G, Ferdinand KC, Islam N, Johnson R, Laurent J, Matthews P, McFarlane A, Mills SD, Vu MB, Washington IS, Yuan CT, Davis P. Community Engagement in Implementation Science: the Impact of Community Engagement Activities in the DECIPHeR Alliance. Ethn Dis 2023; DECIPHeR:52-59. [PMID: 38846725 PMCID: PMC11099526 DOI: 10.18865/ed.decipher.52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background The translation of evidence-based interventions into practice settings remains challenging. Implementation science aims to bridge the evidence-to-practice gap by understanding multilevel contexts and tailoring evidence-based interventions accordingly. Engaging community partners who possess timely, local knowledge is crucial for this process to be successful. The Disparities Elimination through Coordinated Interventions to Prevent and Control Heart and Lung Disease Risk (DECIPHeR) Alliance aims to address cardiopulmonary health disparities by engaging diverse community partners to improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions. The goal of the Community Engagement Subcommittee is to strengthen community engagement practice across DECIPHeR. This paper presents the subcommittee's "Why We Engage Communities" statement that outlines why community engagement is critical for implementation science. The paper also provides case examples of DECIPHeR community engagement activities. Methods To develop the "Why We Engage Communities" statement, we conducted a literature review, surveyed subcommittee members to assess the importance of community engagement in their work, and integrated community partner feedback. We synthesize the findings into three key themes and present examples of community engagement activities and their impact across DECIPHeR projects. Results The statement presents three themes that illustrate why community engagement increases the impact of implementation and health equity research. Community engagement (1) engages local knowledge and expertise, (2) promotes authentic relationships, and (3) builds community and researcher capacity. The statement provides a guiding framework for strengthening DECIPHeR research and enhancing community partnerships. Conclusion Community engagement can improve the implementation of evidence-based interventions across diverse settings, improving intervention effectiveness in underserved communities and furthering health equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Cooper
- Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | | | | | - Allison J. Carroll
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
| | - Savanna L. Carson
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Geri Donenberg
- Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | | | - Nadia Islam
- Institute for Excellence in Health Equity, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY
| | - Rebecca Johnson
- Northwestern University and Total Resource Community Development Organization, Chicago, IL
| | | | | | | | - Sarah D. Mills
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Maihan B. Vu
- Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
- Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - India S. Washington
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Christina T. Yuan
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD
| | - Paris Davis
- Total Resource Community Development Organization and Triedstone Church of Chicago, Chicago, IL
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Mensah GA, Murray DM. Deciphering Disparities: The NHLBI Program on Disparities Elimination through Coordinated Interventions to Prevent and Control Heart and Lung Disease Risk (DECIPHeR). Ethn Dis 2023; DECIPHeR:1-5. [PMID: 38846734 PMCID: PMC11099529 DOI: 10.18865/ed.decipher.1] [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] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite several ambitious national health initiatives to eliminate health disparities, spanning more than 4 decades, health disparities remain pervasive in the United States. In an attempt to bend the curve in disparities elimination, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) issued a funding opportunity on Disparities Elimination through Coordinated Interventions to Prevent and Control Heart and Lung Disease Risk (DECIPHeR) in March 2019. Seven implementation research centers and 1 research coordinating center were funded in September 2020 to plan, develop, and test effective implementation strategies for eliminating disparities in heart and lung disease risk. In the 16 articles presented in this issue of Ethnicity & Disease, the DECIPHeR Alliance investigators and their NHLBI program staff address the work accomplished in the first phase of this biphasic research endeavor. Included in the collection are an article on important lessons learned during technical assistance sessions designed to ensure scientific rigor in clinical study designs, and 2 examples of clinical study process articles. Several articles show the diversity of clinical and public health settings addressed including schools, faith-based settings, federally qualified health centers, and other safety net clinics. All strategies for eliminating disparities tackle a cardiovascular or pulmonary disease and related risk factors. In an additional article, NHLBI program staff address expectations in phase 2 of the DECIPHeR program, strategies to ensure feasibility of scaling and spreading promising strategies identified, and opportunities for translating the DECIPHeR research model to other chronic diseases for the elimination of related health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A. Mensah
- Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
| | - David M. Murray
- Office of Disease Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
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