Maximizing the promise of citizen science to advance health and prevent disease

King, Abby C.; Winter, Sandra J.; Chrisinger, Benjamin W.; Hua, Jenna; Banchoff, Ann

doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2018.12.016

Cited by 67 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The major goal of the Our Voice citizen science model is to empower residents, regardless of geography, age, or socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, to activate health-promoting changes in their local neighborhoods and communities in collaboration with relevant community organizations and academic partners [22,24]. While the term "empowerment" has a number of different definitions that are relevant to this work, Rappaport's definition (1984) can be generally employed, i.e., "the process by which people, organizations, and communities gain mastery over their lives" [35].…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Our Voice model combines key strengths of traditional forms of citizen science and community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods. These include greater standardization of resident data collection methods-a hallmark of citizen science-than what is often found in CBPR applications, and more complete involvement of residents in the full scientific endeavor relative to more frequently used citizen science methods [13,22]. (See Our Voice video overview in Supplementary Materials.…”

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Involving older adults in these processes can enhance their perceptions of autonomy, empowerment, and collective agency as they witness how their own actions can lead to tangible improvements to their local environments [22]. For instance, significant pre-post increases in neighborhood cohesion (e.g., "This is a close-knit neighborhood") and community engagement and collective agency (e.g., "By working together with others in my community, I can influence decisions that affect my community") have been reported among low-income Latino older adults participating in a citizen science project aimed at barriers to active living [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The citizen science field is comprised of different levels of resident engagement that can be placed broadly into the following three categories [22]: (a) citizen science "for the people", which typically is limited to donations by residents of biological specimens or other forms of personal information to advance biomedical or other types of research; (b) citizen science "with the people", which has been used extensively in the natural and biological sciences, including astronomy and ecology, and usually involves systematic data collection by residents around specific observable phenomena, with the data then sent to scientists or other groups to analyze and interpret (e.g., to municipal authorities, in the case of mobile apps that encourage residents to photograph local problems, such as potholes, which can be sent to a specific website); and (c) citizen science "by the people", which is viewed as a partnership between residents, researchers, and relevant community organizations. In this latter citizen science category, also referred to as participatory action research, residents typically contribute to study objectives and/or questions of interest, data collection and interpretation, and development of relevant actions based on the results [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

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

King

Banchoff

et al. 2020

IJERPH

Self Cite

103

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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.

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Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

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

King

Banchoff

et al. 2020

IJERPH

Self Cite

103

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Meaningful engagement of community residents can also lead to enhanced environmental health literacy (defined as the understanding of the connection between environment and health and the ability to act on this based on that knowledge) [12,13]. The fields of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and citizen science (referred to in this article as community science) emphasize meaningful community participation in research and related decision-making [1,14,15]. These fields have provided an array of useful principles and tools to engage impacted residents in air quality research, monitoring, and regulatory efforts [16][17][18][19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border

Wong

Wilkie

Garzón-Galvis

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Initiated in response to community concerns about high levels of air pollution and asthma, the Imperial County Community Air Monitoring Project was conducted as a collaboration between a community-based organization, a non-governmental environmental health program, and academic researchers. This community-engaged research project aimed to produce real-time, community-level air quality information through the establishment of a community air monitoring network (CAMN) of 40 low-cost particulate matter (PM) monitors in Imperial County, California. Methods used to involve the community partner organization and residents in the development, operation, and use of the CAMN included the following: (1) establishing equitable partnerships among the project collaborators; (2) forming a community steering committee to guide project activities; (3) engaging residents in data collection to determine monitor sites; (4) providing hands-on training to assemble and operate the air monitors; (5) conducting focus groups to guide display and dissemination of monitoring data; and (6) conducting trainings on community action planning. This robust community engagement in the project resulted in increased awareness, knowledge, capacity, infrastructure, and influence for the community partner organization and among community participants. Even after the conclusion of the original research grant funding for this project, the CAMN continues to be operated and sustained by the community partner, serving as a community resource used by residents, schools, researchers, and others to better understand and address air pollution and its impacts on community health, while strengthening the ability of the community to prepare for, respond to, and recover from harmful air pollution.

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Using citizen science to engage the public in monitoring workplace breastfeeding support in Australia

Rowbotham

Marks

Tawia³

et al. 2021

Health Prom J of Aust

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Issue addressed: Returning to work is a major barrier to continued breastfeeding. While many large organisations in Australia have policies to support breastfeeding and expressing at work, it is not known how these are implemented in practice, what support is available in smaller workplaces or to what extent workplace support meets the needs of breastfeeding mothers.Methods: This pilot study trialled a citizen science approach where members of the public provided photographs and descriptions of breastfeeding facilities and support within their workplaces. The study was promoted through community networks and social media, and data were submitted via an online survey. Data were analysed inductively to identify key themes.Results: Thirty-seven participants provided data on breastfeeding support in their workplace. Three key themes were identified: physical features and facilities; workplace culture; and organisational and occupational characteristics. There was considerable variation in workplace support and around half of the participants indicated that they had to use communal, poorly equipped and/or unhygienic spaces to breastfeed or express at work. Conclusion:While some employers have taken important steps towards supporting mothers to combine breastfeeding and work, there is room for improvement.Through this pilot study, we have demonstrated the feasibility and value of using a citizen science approach to obtain data from a range of workplaces along with perceptions of workplace characteristics that support or hinder breastfeeding and expressing at work. So what?:Citizen science is a useful approach to capturing data on workplace support for breastfeeding and could be scaled up to enable ongoing monitoring. The findings raise important issues around the interpretation and implementation of current legislation to support mothers in the workplace.

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Maximizing the promise of citizen science to advance health and prevent disease

Cited by 67 publications

References 22 publications

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

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

Community-Engaged Air Monitoring to Build Resilience Near the US-Mexico Border

Using citizen science to engage the public in monitoring workplace breastfeeding support in Australia

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