The SMART Framework: Integration of Citizen Science, Community-Based Participatory Research, and Systems Science for Population Health Science in the Digital Age

Abstract

Citizen science enables citizens to actively contribute to all aspects of the research process, from conceptualization and data collection, to knowledge translation and evaluation. Citizen science is gradually emerging as a pertinent approach in population health research. Given that citizen science has intrinsic links with community-based research, where participatory action drives the research agenda, these two approaches could be integrated to address complex population health issues. Community-based participatory research has a strong record of application across multiple disciplines and sectors to address health inequities. Citizen science can use the structure of community-based participatory research to take local approaches of problem solving to a global scale, because citizen science emerged through individual environmental activism that is not limited by geography. This synergy has significant implications for population health research if combined with systems science, which can offer theoretical and methodological strength to citizen science and community-based participatory research. Systems science applies a holistic perspective to understand the complex mechanisms underlying causal relationships within and between systems, as it goes beyond linear relationships by utilizing big data–driven advanced computational models. However, to truly integrate citizen science, community-based participatory research, and systems science, it is time to realize the power of ubiquitous digital tools, such as smartphones, for connecting us all and providing big data. Smartphones have the potential to not only create equity by providing a voice to disenfranchised citizens but smartphone-based apps also have the reach and power to source big data to inform policies. An imminent challenge in legitimizing citizen science is minimizing bias, which can be achieved by standardizing methods and enhancing data quality—a rigorous process that requires researchers to collaborate with citizen scientists utilizing the principles of community-based participatory research action. This study advances SMART, an evidence-based framework that integrates citizen science, community-based participatory research, and systems science through ubiquitous tools by addressing core challenges such as citizen engagement, data management, and internet inequity to legitimize this integration.

Smart Indigenous Youth: The Smart Platform Policy Solution for Systems Integration to Address Indigenous Youth Mental Health

“…In order to engage the youth of the twenty-first century, especially in rural and remote Indigenous communities, it is also imperative to leverage ubiquitous mobile tools for digital health interventions to not only address access gaps, but also to empower Indigenous youth. This approach will facilitate innovative Two-Eyed Seeing solutions [ 23 - 25 ], which incorporate Western digital epidemiological methods with Indigenous Knowledge.…”

“…Citizen science approaches range from contributory and collaborative methods (data collection and analysis) to cocreation of knowledge (conceptualization and knowledge translation), where all participants contribute as citizen scientists [ 23 , 27 , 28 ]. The Smart Platform is informed by an evidence-based framework that integrates citizen science, community-based participatory research, and systems science through digital tools to conduct population health research in the digital age—the Smart Framework ( Figure 1 ) [ 23 ]. In implementing Smart Indigenous Youth, our team combines the Smart Framework with Traditional Indigenous Knowledge to ensure Two-Eyed Seeing for participatory action research [ 24 , 25 ].…”

“…Smart Indigenous Youth enables an intersectoral intervention by bringing together health, education, and sports-related policies through a culturally sensitive and land-based initiative that empowers Indigenous youth by providing them a voice. The key to the success of Smart Indigenous Youth’s systems integration is the innovation of combining citizen science, community-based participatory research, and systems science through ubiquitous devices [ 23 ]. This integration facilitates digital health interventions for mental health equity among Indigenous youth.…”

“…A key component of facilitating empowerment is building capacity among Indigenous youth for integrated knowledge translation. Smart Indigenous Youth is based on the Smart Framework’s integrated knowledge translation approach [ 23 ], which is strengthened by the Youth Citizen Scientist Council with representation from varied genders and socioeconomic groups. The evidence that is generated by this initiative is disseminated and translated in collaboration with the Youth Citizen Scientist Council, which provides a voice to Indigenous youth as depicted by our first round of knowledge mobilization [ 32 ].…”

“…The most significant barrier to digital health interventions, especially in rural and remote communities, is internet inequity. Internet inequity is defined as differential internet access based on wealth, location (urban, rural, or remote), gender, age, or ethnicity [ 23 ]. In our experience of working with rural and remote schools, our team has observed that although more than 90% of youth and educators own smartphones, access to Wi-Fi or cellular data plans varies widely between communities, and it is not always the case that remote communities have lower access.…”