The case for citizen science in public health policy and practice: a mixed methods study of policymaker and practitioner perspectives and experiences

Health Research Policy and Systems

Research

Leah Marks¹  Samantha Rowbotham¹  Ben J. Smith²  Yvonne Laird²  Jo Mitchell³ 

[1]Menzies Centre for Health Policy and Economics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[2]The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[3]Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[4]The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[5]Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[6]Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[7]The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre, The Sax Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia

[8]Prevention Research Collaboration, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

关键词: Citizen science;    Public health;    Health policy;    Community engagement;    Chronic disease prevention;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12961-023-00978-8

 received in 2022-11-15, accepted in 2023-03-29,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCitizen 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.MethodsUsing 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.ResultsMost 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.ConclusionsTo 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.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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