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Participatory Research in Health Promotion

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2019) | Viewed by 37636

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maïté Verloigne

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Guest Editor

1 Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
2 Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Egmontstraat 1, 1000 Brussel, Belgium
Interests: interventions; youth; participatory health research; co-creation; physical activity; sedentary behaviour; schools; evaluation

Dr. Maria Giné-Garriga

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Guest Editor

1 School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, G4 0BA Glasgow, United Kingdom
2 Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sport Sciences Blanquerna, Ramon Llull University, Císter 34, 08022 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: older adults; health-related interventions; participatory health research; co-creation; physical activity; sedentary behaviour; service-learning methodology

Dr. Calum Leask

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor

1 Health Intelligence Department, NHS Grampian, Eday Road, AB15 6RE, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
2 Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership, Frederick Street, AB24 5HY, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Interests: co-creation; health services research; sedentary behaviour; active ageing; evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the health promotion literature, there has been considerable concern about the need to maintain and retain health benefits attained with health promotion interventions. The road towards achieving sustainability in adherence to health-based interventions might be the key to future health promotion. However, there is still a gap between the design of evidence-based interventions and their effective and sustainable implementation. The participatory or co-creational approach is an increasingly advocated strategy that is gaining attention internationally as a mechanism to bridge this gap. It is thought that the involvement of end-users in the development of solution-based interventions using key elements derived from participatory methodologies may increase the likelihood of producing sustainable change. Participatory research involves the active collaboration of academic researchers with the persons whose life or work is the subject of the research throughout the research process. This requires a power-sharing governance between academic and non-academic stakeholders and is believed to increase feelings of empowerment and promote mutual learning and the formation of innovative insights to gain an in-depth understanding of specific health promotion issues. Despite the increasing attention on this area, there is currently a lack of participatory health promotion studies with high-quality scientific design and methodology. For this special issue, we invite submissions that thoroughly describe their participatory methodology and results to deal with a specific public health issue. We are particularly interested in high-quality research that evaluates the effect and/or process of participatory public health interventions. Researchers are invited to contribute novel work to be considered for publication in this Special Issue, including original articles, short communications, systematic reviews or meta-analyses.

Dr. Maïté Verloigne
Dr. Maria Giné-Garriga
Dr. Calum Leask
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

health promotion
co-creation
health-related interventions
process evaluation
effect evaluation
empowerment
capacity building
action research
end-user involvement

Published Papers (9 papers)

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30 pages, 1384 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Employing Participatory Citizen Science Methods to Promote Age-Friendly Environments Worldwide

by Abby C. King, Diane K. King, Ann Banchoff, Smadar Solomonov, Ofir Ben Natan, Jenna Hua, Paul Gardiner, Lisa Goldman Rosas, Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, Sandra J. Winter, Jylana Sheats, Deborah Salvo, Nicolas Aguilar-Farias, Afroditi Stathi, Adriano Akira Hino, Michelle M. Porter and On behalf of the Our Voice Global Citizen Science Research Network

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(5), 1541; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051541 - 27 Feb 2020

Cited by 66 | Viewed by 9348

Abstract

The trajectory of aging is profoundly impacted by the physical and social environmental contexts in which we live. While “top–down” policy activities can have potentially wide impacts on such contexts, they often take time, resources, and political will, and therefore can be less accessible to underserved communities. This article describes a “bottom–up”, resident-engaged method to advance local environmental and policy change, called Our Voice, that can complement policy-level strategies for improving the health, function, and well-being of older adults. Using the World Health Organization’s age-friendly cities global strategy, we describe the Our Voice citizen science program of research that has specifically targeted older adults as environmental change agents to improve their own health and well-being as well as that of their communities. Results from 14 Our Voice studies that have occurred across five continents demonstrate that older adults can learn to use mobile technology to systematically capture and collectively analyze their own data. They can then successfully build consensus around high-priority issues that can be realistically changed and work effectively with local stakeholders to enact meaningful environmental and policy changes that can help to promote healthy aging. The article ends with recommended next steps for growing the resident-engaged citizen science field to advance the health and welfare of all older adults. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

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24 pages, 348 KiB

Open AccessArticle

“Not Only Adults Can Make Good Decisions, We as Children Can Do That as Well” Evaluating the Process of the Youth-Led Participatory Action Research ‘Kids in Action’

by Manou Anselma, Mai Chinapaw and Teatske Altenburg

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(2), 625; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020625 - 18 Jan 2020

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 4367

Abstract

In Youth-led Participatory Action Research (YPAR), youth collaborate with academic researchers to study a problem, develop actions that align with their needs and interests, and become empowered. ‘Kids in Action’ aimed to develop actions targeting healthy physical activity and dietary behavior among, and together with, 9–12-year-old children as co-researchers. This paper presents the process evaluation of ‘Kids in Action’ based on eight focus groups with children (N = 40) and eight interviews with community partners (N = 11). Interview guides were based on empowerment theory and the RE-AIM framework, in order to evaluate the study on: empowerment, collaborations, reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Transcripts were analyzed using evaluation and provisional coding. Both children and community partners perceived an increased awareness of healthy behaviors and an improvement in confidence, critical awareness, leadership and collaboration skills, which contributed to increased feelings of empowerment. Community partners valued child participation and the co-created actions. Actions were also well-perceived by children and they liked being involved in action development. The strong relationship of researchers with both children and relevant community partners proved an important facilitator of co-creation. Future studies are recommended to attempt closer collaboration with schools and parents to gain even more support for co-created actions and increase their effectiveness. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

13 pages, 1234 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Small Successes Make Big Wins: A Retrospective Case Study towards Community Engagement of Low-SES Families

by Lotte Prevo, Stef Kremers and Maria Jansen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(2), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020612 - 18 Jan 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2383

Abstract

In health-promoting interventions, a main difficulty is that low socioeconomic status (SES) groups especially seem to experience barriers to participation. To overcome this barrier, the current study focused on the success factors and obstacles in the process of supporting low-SES families in becoming partners, while carrying out small-scale activities based on their needs. A retrospective case study design was used to construct a timeline of activities organized by and together with low-SES families based on mainly qualitative data. Next, key events were grouped into the four attributes of the resilience activation framework: human, social, political, and economic capital. The following key lessons were defined: professionals should let go of work routines and accommodate the talents of the families, start doing, strive for small successes; create a functional social network surrounding the families, maintaining professional support over time as back-up; and create collaborative governance to build upon accessibility, transparency and trust among the low-SES families. Continuous and flexible ‘navigating the middle’ between bottom-up and top-down approaches was seen as vital in the partnership process between low-SES families and local professional partners. Constant feedback loops made the evaluation points clear, which supported both families and professionals to enhance their partnership. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

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20 pages, 3033 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sowing Seeds to Harvest Healthier Adults: The Working Principles and Impact of Participatory Health Research with Children in a Primary School Context

by Tineke Abma, Sarah Lips and Janine Schrijver

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(2), 451; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020451 - 10 Jan 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3087

Abstract

Participatory research on health-related topics with children is promising but current literature offers limited guidance on how to involve children and falls short on the reporting impact. The purpose of this article is to heighten our understanding of the working principles and impact of participatory health research (PHR) with children. We completed a PHR project in two primary schools, which included children from a multiethnic, deprived neighborhood in the second largest city in The Netherlands over a period of three school years (2016–2019). The impact on the children’s subjective health has been measured via process evaluation using qualitative and quantitative methods from the perspectives of all involved (children, their teachers, parents, and community partners). The main working principles included: Experiential learning; addressing uncomfortable issues; stepping outside your environment; and keeping it simple. Participatory actions valued most by the children included: Walking tours, photovoice, foodlabs, sportlabs, and to a lesser extent: Making a newspaper, mindfulness, and Capoeira. The project reached and engaged many children, parents, teachers, and community partners into healthy lifestyles and broadened and deepened the children’s awareness and understanding of health behavior. ‘Sowing seeds’ is the metaphor that captures the broader impact of this project: Planting seeds to harvest healthier adults. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

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22 pages, 2384 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Pathways to Increasing Adolescent Physical Activity and Wellbeing: A Mediation Analysis of Intervention Components Designed Using a Participatory Approach

by Kirsten Corder, André O. Werneck, Stephanie T. Jong, Erin Hoare, Helen Elizabeth Brown, Campbell Foubister, Paul O. Wilkinson and Esther MF van Sluijs

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(2), 390; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17020390 - 7 Jan 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 4331

Abstract

We assessed which intervention components were associated with change in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and wellbeing through proposed psychosocial mediators. Eight schools (n = 1319; 13–14 years) ran GoActive, where older mentors and in-class-peer-leaders encouraged classes to conduct two new activities/week; students gained points and rewards for activity. We assessed exposures: participant-perceived engagement with components (post-intervention): older mentorship, peer leadership, class sessions, competition, rewards, points entered online; potential mediators (change from baseline): social support, self-efficacy, group cohesion, friendship quality, self-esteem; and outcomes (change from baseline): accelerometer-assessed MVPA (min/day), wellbeing (Warwick-Edinburgh). Mediation was assessed using linear regression models stratified by gender (adjusted for age, ethnicity, language, school, BMI z-score, baseline values), assessing associations between (1) exposures and mediators, (2) exposures and outcomes (without mediators) and (3) exposure and mediator with outcome using bootstrap resampling. No evidence was found to support the use of these components to increase physical activity. Among boys, higher perceived teacher and mentor support were associated with improved wellbeing via various mediators. Among girls, higher perceived mentor support and perception of competition and rewards were positively associated with wellbeing via self-efficacy, self-esteem and social support. If implemented well, mentorship could increase wellbeing among adolescents. Teacher support and class-based activity sessions may be important for boys’ wellbeing, whereas rewards and competition warrant consideration among girls. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

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14 pages, 462 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Co-Creating Recommendations to Redesign and Promote Strength and Balance Service Provision

by Calum F Leask, Nick Colledge, Robert M E Laventure, Deborah A McCann and Dawn A Skelton

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(17), 3169; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16173169 - 30 Aug 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2323

Abstract

Background: Awareness of physical activity guidelines are low, particularly the “forgotten guidelines” of strength and balance. Increasing awareness of guidelines, but also of appropriate local services that can be utilised, is an important step towards active ageing. Co-creation can inform tailored service provision to potentially increase uptake and adherence. The aim was to co-create recommendations to redesign and promote local leisure services, emphasising strength and balance activity provision. Method: Twenty-four ageing and older adults engaged in 10 co-creation workshops. Workshops consisted of interactive tasks, and fieldwork tasks were undertaken externally. Data were collected using field notes, worksheet tasks and facilitator reflections and were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: Retention and adherence rates were 92% and 85%. Co-creators cited group cohesion, scientific input from experts and perceived knowledge development as enjoyable elements of the process. Four key themes emerged from analysis: (1) localised strategies for awareness raising, (2) recruitment of volunteer champions to increase uptake and maintenance, (3) accessibility of activities, including what they are and when they are, and (4) evaluation of impact. Conclusion: This has been the first study, to our knowledge, to utilise co-creation for informed leisure service provision improvement. Future work should aim to implement these recommendations to ascertain what impact these themes might make. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

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16 pages, 2619 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Using Photovoice to Examine Physical Activity in the Urban Context and Generate Policy Recommendations: The Heart Healthy Hoods Study

by Pedro Gullón, Julia Díez, Paloma Conde, Carmen Ramos, Valentín Márquez, Hannah Badland, Francisco Escobar and Manuel Franco

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(5), 749; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050749 - 1 Mar 2019

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6181

Abstract

A current challenge in physical activity research is engaging citizens with co-creating policies that support physical activity participation. Using Photovoice, a participatory action research method, the objectives of this study were to: 1) Identify community perceptions of urban built, social, and political/economic environment factors associated with physical activity; and 2) generate community-driven policy recommendations to increase physical activity. Two districts in Madrid of varying socio-economic status (SES) were selected. Overall, 24 residents participated in 4 groups stratified by sex and district (6 participants per group). Groups met weekly for 4 weeks to discuss and analyze their photographs. Participants coded photographs into categories, which were then regrouped into broader themes. The categories were transformed into policy recommendations using an adaptation of the logical framework approach. Participants took 161 photos, which were classified into 61 categories and 14 broader themes (e.g., active transportation, sport in the city). After this, participants generated a set of 34 policy recommendations to improve the urban environment to support physical activity (e.g., to redistribute sports facilities). Collaboration between citizens and researchers led to a deeper understanding of the community perceptions of urban built, social, and political/economic environment factors associated with physical activity in two districts of Madrid, while engaging citizens in recommending public policies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

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14 pages, 329 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Novel Approach to Reduce Sedentary Behaviour in Care Home Residents: The GET READY Study Utilising Service-Learning and Co-Creation

by Maria Giné-Garriga, Marlene Sandlund, Philippa M. Dall, Sebastien F. M. Chastin, Susana Pérez and Dawn A. Skelton

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(3), 418; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16030418 - 1 Feb 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3504

Abstract

The GET READY study aimed to integrate service-learning methodology into University degrees by offering students individual service opportunities with residential care homes, to co-create the best suited intervention to reduce the sedentary behaviour (SB) of residents throughout the day, with researchers, end-users, care staff, family members and policymakers. Eight workshops with care home residents and four workshops with care staff, relatives and policymakers, led by undergraduate students, were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and analysed with inductive thematic analysis to understand views and preferences for sustainable strategies to reduce SB and increase movement of residents. Perspectives about SB and movement in care homes highlighted four subthemes. Assets for decreasing SB included three subthemes, and suggestions and strategies encapsulated four subthemes. There is a need to include end-users in decision making, and involve care staff and relatives in enhancing strategies to reduce SB among residents if we want sustainable changes in behaviour. A change in the culture at a policymaker and care staff’s level could provide opportunities to open care homes to the community with regular activities outside the care home premises, and offer household chores and opportunities to give residents a role in maintaining their home environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

Other

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2 pages, 469 KiB

Open AccessErratum

Erratum: Abma, T., et al. Sowing Seeds to Harvest Healthier Adults: The Working Principles and Impact of Participatory Health Research with Children in a Primary School Context. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 451

by Tineke Abma, Sarah Lips and Janine Schrijver

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(9), 3252; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17093252 - 7 May 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1426

Abstract

The authors wish to make the following corrections to the above-mentioned published paper [1]: During production, an error occurred in the layout of Figure 1 ‘Learning impact of KLIK, as self-assessed by the children’ on page 6 [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Participatory Research in Health Promotion)

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