eB4CAST: An Evidence-Based Tool to Promote Dissemination and Implementation in Community-Based, Public Health Research

Abstract

eB4CAST, evidence-Based forecast C-capture, A-assemble, S-sustain, T-timelessness (eB4CAST), framework was developed from existing dissemination and implementation (D & I) constructs as a dissemination tool to promote community-based program usability and future application in targeted populations. eB4CAST captures and transforms research findings into a dissemination report that shows program need and impact to endorse program continuation and expansion. This is achieved through direct and indirect data collection of community factors and program impact that can showcase the need for program sustainability and potential for future dissemination sites. Testimonials, individual feedback, and program process and outcomes contribute to the direct data while data collected from census, county, and state databases and reports allow for indirect information to be captured and analyzed. Capturing data in the two levels allow eB4CAST to forecast program need and highlight program impact through a footprint. eB4CAST framework for dissemination tool creation is organized into four sections: Capture, Assemble, Sustainability, and Timelessness. Capture encompasses the collection of indirect and direct data related to intervention goals. Assemble is the compilation of the data into a visually appealing and easily understood media. Sustainability encourages the use of dissemination tools to provide forecast of program need and footprint of program impact back to community participants, program leaders, and key stakeholders to endorse program sustainability. Lastly, timelessness encourages cyclic movement through these constructs to continue program monitoring and data sharing to ensure timeless program evaluation and conformation to change in needs. The eB4CAST framework provides a systematic method to capture justification of program need and impact of community-based research that can be modified to fit diverse public health interventions providing a necessary D & I tool.

eB4CAST Approach Improves Science Communication With Stakeholders in a College-Based Health Program

“…As Get Fruved was a large multi-state program, lead researchers wanted to supply those sites who enrolled in Get Fruved with their own data and feedback from the intervention. To supply this data in an easy-to-read format, eB4CAST was employed due to its systematic method to dissemination data to multiple sites (16). The eB4CAST reports were generated during the randomized-control trial (RCT) phase of Get Fruved in 2017-2018.…”

“…Recently a dissemination tool, eB4CAST, that merges D&I and CBPR principles, has been developed to assist community-based programs in communicating program outcomes and gaining community and stakeholder support. The eB4CAST framework was designed to provide community members with an evidence-based forecast to capture (C), assemble (A), sustain (S) and present the timelessness (T) of program/research data (16) and is a published and tested tool (16,17) that uses infographic reports to share data back with the community in an easily understood manner. Infographics are used as visual guides to quickly share data in a concise way that general audiences can understand (18)(19)(20).…”

Dissemination Using Infographic Reports Depicting Program Impact of a Community-Based Research Program: eB4CAST in iCook 4-H

“…12,13 Moreover, infographics provide a way to take complex data and share them with communities in an easily understood way, which overcomes a challenge of dissemination. 13−15 To facilitate the effective dissemination of community-based programs to stakeholders and community members, the Evidence-Based Forecast Capture, Assemble, Sustain, Timelessness (eB4CAST) framework was developed, 16 which incorporates direct (research results, participant and program leader feedback, and other program-collected process and program outcome data) and indirect (publicly available community-level statistics) data to produce electronically generated, community-specific infographics illustrating program need and community impact. Four constructs form the eB4CAST framework: capture, assemble, sustainability, and timelessness.…”

“…This study acquired expert perceptions of the barriers to D&I and assessed their perception of eB4CAST as a dissemination tool for community health researchers and professionals to overcome dissemination barriers. Although eB4CAST was developed and described elsewhere for use in community and public health research, 16 this study specifically sought community stakeholder opinion on the eB4CAST infographics from the iCook 4-H study 17 by evaluating favorability regarding the design, content, and perceived usefulness in dissemination through surveys and interviews. The overall objective was a formative evaluation of the iCook 4-H eB4CAST infographic dissemination reports to gather perceptions about the eB4CAST format.…”

How to make your research jump off the page: Co-creation to broaden public engagement in medical research

“…Infographics are similar to journal figures in that they are compact, data-rich visuals. The difference is that infographics should be easier to read and focus on one key message [ 25 ] and can engage people with varying literacy capabilities [ 17 , 26 , 27 ]. Infographics can be created by hand, as in the technique of sketch-noting, or by computer software.…”