Initiating community engagement in an ecohealth research project in Southern Africa

被引:15
|
作者
Musesengwa, Rosemary [1 ]
Chimbari, Moses J. [1 ]
Mukaratirwa, Samson [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ KwaZulu Natal, Howard Coll, Coll Hlth Sci, 1st Floor Desmond Clarence Bldg, ZA-4001 Durban, South Africa
[2] Univ KwaZulu Natal, Sch Life Sci, Westville Campus, ZA-4041 Durban, South Africa
关键词
STRATEGIES; HEALTH;
D O I
10.1186/s40249-016-0231-9
中图分类号
R51 [传染病];
学科分类号
100401 ;
摘要
Background: Community Engagement (CE) in health research ensures that research is consistent with the sociocultural, political and economic contexts where the research is conducted. The greatest challenges for researchers are the practical aspects of CE in multicentre health research. This study describes the CE in an ecohealth community-based research project focusing on two vulnerable and research naive rural communities. Methods: A qualitative, longitudinal multiple case study approach was used. Data was collected through Participatory Rural Appraisals, Focus Group Discussions, In-depth Interviews, and observations. Results: The two sites had different cultural values, research literacy levels, and political and administrative structures. The engagement process included 1) introductions to the administrative and political leaders of the area; 2) establishing a community advisory mechanism; 3) community empowerment and 4) initiating sustainable post-study activities. In both sites the study employed community liaison officers to facilitate the community entry and obtaining letters of permission. Both sites opted to form Community Advisory Boards as their main advisory mechanism together with direct advice from community leaders. Empowerment was achieved through the education of ordinary community members at biannual meetings, employment of community research assistants and utilising citizen science. Through the research assistants and the citizen science group, the study has managed to initiate activities that the community will continue to utilise after the study ends. General strategies developed are similar in principle, but implementation and emphasis of various aspects differed in the two communities. Conclusions: We conclude that it is critical that community engagement be consistent with community values and attitudes, and considers community resources and capacity. A CE strategy fully involving the community is constrained by community research literacy levels, time and resources, but creates a conducive research environment.
引用
收藏
页数:11
相关论文
共 50 条
  • [1] Initiating community engagement in an ecohealth research project in Southern Africa
    Rosemary Musesengwa
    Moses J. Chimbari
    Samson Mukaratirwa
    [J]. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 6
  • [2] Initiating community engagement in an ecohealth research project in Southern Africa
    Musesengwa Rosemary
    Chimbari Moses J
    Mukaratirwa Samson
    [J]. 贫困所致传染病(英文), 2017, 6 (02)
  • [3] Experiences of community members and researchers on community engagement in an Ecohealth project in South Africa and Zimbabwe
    Rosemary Musesengwa
    Moses J. Chimbari
    [J]. BMC Medical Ethics, 18
  • [4] Experiences of community members and researchers on community engagement in an Ecohealth project in South Africa and Zimbabwe
    Musesengwa, Rosemary
    Chimbari, Moses J.
    [J]. BMC MEDICAL ETHICS, 2017, 18
  • [5] Engagement enacted: Essentials of initiating an action research project
    Snoeren, Miranda M. W. C.
    Niessen, Theo J. H.
    Abma, Tineke A.
    [J]. ACTION RESEARCH, 2012, 10 (02) : 189 - 204
  • [6] Community Engagement Knowledge Translation Research Project
    Drum, C.
    Rainer, S.
    [J]. JOURNAL OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY RESEARCH, 2016, 60 (7-8) : 779 - 779
  • [7] Ecohealth research in Africa: Where from-Where to?
    Bergquist, Robert
    Brattig, Norbert W.
    Chimbari, Moses J.
    Zinsstag, Jakob
    Utzinger, Jurg
    [J]. ACTA TROPICA, 2017, 175 : 1 - 8
  • [8] Facilitating community engagement: Researchers' lived experiences in rural communities in the KwaZulu-Natal Ecohealth Program, South Africa
    Mthembu, Zinhle
    Chimbari, Moses
    Macherera, Margaret
    [J]. COGENT SOCIAL SCIENCES, 2023, 9 (01):
  • [9] A Social Media Analytics Capstone Research Project with Community Engagement
    Ye, Chen
    Zhao, Lin
    [J]. Journal of Information Systems Education, 2023, 34 (04) : 406 - 417
  • [10] A Framework for Community and Stakeholder Engagement: Experiences From a Multicenter Study in Southern Africa
    Musesengwa, Rosemary
    Chimbari, Moses J.
    Mukaratirwa, Samson
    [J]. JOURNAL OF EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS, 2018, 13 (04) : 323 - 332