It Starts with a Conversation: The Importance of Values as Building Blocks of Engagement Strategies in Community-Centered Public Health Research

Abstract

This study examined the life-motivating values of residents in underserved minority communities to inform the development of community engagement strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the main research questions: (1) what were the values of research participants, and (2) what did they consider important in their lives? The participants included twenty-seven ethnically diverse individuals living in low-income neighborhoods in New York City (NYC). Thematic analysis was performed to identify common themes and patterns related to the values that participants considered important in their lives. Three broad themes were identified: (1) benevolence; (2) universalism, and (3) self-direction. Benevolence implies a sense of belonging as the central meaning in life; community engagement strategies focused on this value emphasize concern for the welfare of loved ones. Community engagement strategies focused on universalism emphasize social justice and concern for the environment and the world. Finally, community engagement strategies focused on self-direction seek to satisfy participants’ needs for control, autonomy, and mastery. This study introduces the Value-Based Framework for Community-Centered Research. It illustrates how value exploration is central to a community-centered approach to public health research and can be an important first step for designing studies that are better aligned with community needs and contexts. Such an approach can also help to co-create a “research identity” with community members and integrate their values into a project’s purpose, thereby increasing community ownership and engagement in the study.

The Bidirectional Engagement and Equity (BEE) Research Framework to Guide Community–Academic Partnerships: Developed From a Narrative Review and Diverse Stakeholder Perspectives

“…Historically, research initiatives were primarily driven by academic researchers, with the community's knowledge and ‘voice’ being lost in the process [ 14 , 15 ]. There is increasing recognition of the value of engaging community members and organizations in the research process, including the increase in funding opportunities [ 12 , 16 , 17 ] [ 18 , 19 ]. Additionally, there is a call to action for public health professionals to be trained in CBPR approaches [ 20 , 21 ].…”

Identifying structural risk factors for overdose following incarceration: a concept mapping study

“…People with direct involvement with the criminal legal system hold unique perspectives and insight that can provide crucial information. Community-engaged research (CEnR) that involves people with living or lived experience can rebalance power dynamics by centering on and elevating voices of communities that are often marginalized, informing the design of interventions tailored to specific communities (Swierad & Huang, 2021 ), and co-creating a knowledge base to have substantial social impacts on the relationship between carceral involvement, substance use, and overdose (Crawford-Browne & Kaminer, 2012 ; Jull et al, 2017 ). For example, one study using a CEnR approach found several previously unidentified risk factors (e.g., knowledge of an imminent reincarceration) and several protective factors (e.g., having children, presence of a caseworker when accessing services, positive relationship with a probation officers) for overdose in previously incarcerated individuals (Flam-Ross et al, 2022 ).…”

Advancing Public Health Entrepreneurship to Foster Innovation and Impact

“…That public health disparities, including those related to obesity and diet-related diseases, persist as a policy-resistant problem is, in part, a function of the fact that public health research and practice to date remain top-down. Rarely do we innovate from the perspective of true community values and needs (6). Yet, lessons from innovations based on human-and community-centered design suggest that there is an opportunity to leverage bottom-up and asset-based approaches to public health challenges (7).…”