Citizen science applied to building healthier community environments: advancing the field through shared construct and measurement development

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Debate

Erica Hinckson¹  Margaret Schneider²  Daniela Lopes dos Santos³  Andrea Wolff⁴  Sandra J. Winter⁵  Abby C. King⁶  Paul A. Gardiner⁷  Afroditi Stathi⁸  Michelle M. Porter⁹  Milo Puhan^1,10  Emily Stone^1,10 

[1] Auckland University of Technology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, National Institute of Public and Mental Health, Centre for Child Health Research Centre for Active Ageing, Private Bag, 92006, Auckland, New Zealand;Department of Planning, Policy and Design, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA;Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil;Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen, Institute of Sport Science and Sport (ISS), Nuremberg, Germany;Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA;Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA;Division Of Epidemiology, Department Of Health Research & Policy, Stanford University School Of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA;The University of Queensland, Faculty of Medicine, Brisbane, Australia;University of Bath, Bath, UK;University of Manitoba, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management, Centre on Aging, Winnipeg, Canada;University of Zurich, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Zurich, Switzerland;

关键词: Community;    Constructs;    Measures;    Our voice;    Residents;    Stanford healthy neighborhood discovery tool;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12966-017-0588-6

 received in 2017-05-15, accepted in 2017-09-13,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPhysical inactivity across the lifespan remains a public health issue for many developed countries. Inactivity has contributed considerably to the pervasiveness of lifestyle diseases. Government, national and local agencies and organizations have been unable to systematically, and in a coordinated way, translate behavioral research into practice that makes a difference at a population level. One approach for mobilizing multi-level efforts to improve the environment for physical activity is to engage in a process of citizen science. Citizen Science here is defined as a participatory research approach involving members of the public working closely with research investigators to initiate and advance scientific research projects. However, there are no common measures or protocols to guide citizen science research at the local community setting.ObjectivesWe describe overarching categories of constructs that can be considered when designing citizen science projects expected to yield multi-level interventions, and provide an example of the citizen science approach to promoting PA. We also recommend potential measures across different levels of impact.DiscussionEncouraging some consistency in measurement across studies will potentially accelerate the efficiency with which citizen science participatory research provides new insights into and solutions to the behaviorally-based public health issues that drive most of morbidity and mortality. The measures described in this paper abide by four fundamental principles specifically selected for inclusion in citizen science projects: feasibility, accuracy, propriety, and utility. The choice of measures will take into account the potential resources available for outcome and process evaluation. Our intent is to emphasize the importance for all citizen science participatory projects to follow an evidence-based approach and ensure that they incorporate an appropriate assessment protocol.ConclusionsWe provided the rationale for and a list of contextual factors along with specific examples of measures to encourage consistency among studies that plan to use a citizen science participatory approach. The potential of this approach to promote health and wellbeing in communities is high and we hope that we have provided the tools needed to optimally promote synergistic gains in knowledge across a range of Citizen Science participatory projects.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017