Building capacity for citizen science in health promotion: a collaborative knowledge mobilisation approach

Abstract

Policymakers and practitioners in health promotion (e.g. those working for local, state or federal government organisations or community and non-government organisations with a focus on health and wellbeing) are increasingly interested in citizen science as a means of involving the public in research and decision making. The potential benefits of citizen science approaches in health promotion include increased research capacity, incorporation of community perspectives on problems and solutions, and improved public awareness and acceptance of actions to improve health. However, health promotion practitioners and policymakers report having limited familiarity and experience with citizen science and a desire to build their capacity in these approaches. The Citizen Science in Prevention (CSP) project aims to build capacity for citizen science in health promotion by: 1) supporting the development and implementation of citizen science projects by policymakers and practitioners, 2) establishing a network of health promotion stakeholders with familiarity and interest in citizen science approaches, and 3) co-designing resources to support the use of citizen science in policy and practice contexts. A comprehensive mixed methods evaluation will establish the reach, satisfaction, and impacts that can be attributed to the capacity building intervention. This paper describes the first known initiative to build capacity in the application of citizen science approaches in health promotion and we hope that this work will assist others in the development and implementation of capacity building activities for citizen science in health promotion and beyond.

Harnessing citizen science in health promotion: perspectives of policy and practice stakeholders in Australia

“…As part of our program of work, we have delivered capacity building presentations, workshops and provided individual support and mentoring to stakeholder teams in the application of citizen science approaches in policy and practice settings. These capacity building activities have been evaluated and will be reported separately ( Rowbotham et al ., 2023 ).…”

Building citizen science intelligence for outbreak preparedness and response: a mixed-method study in nine countries to assess knowledge, readiness and feasibility

“…Participatory approaches have proven key to effective responses in epidemics such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, as well as in dealing with public health issues such as chronic disease prevention, and health promotion. [4][5][6][7][8] We define CS as the practice of public participation and collaboration in all aspects of scientific research to increase knowledge and build trust between citizens, policymakers and researchers. 9 This involvement and empowerment of citizens beyond traditional top-down methodologies catalyses a collaborative and reciprocal relationship between stakeholders.…”