Promoting Adult Learning through Civil Discourse in the Public Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kranich, Nancy

2010-01-01

Founded in the 1850s to promote an informed citizenry, public libraries advanced both adult learning and citizenship education in the first half of the 20th century, thus becoming cornerstones of democracy. But with a more recent decline in public engagement in libraries and beyond, librarians question whether democracy requires more than an…

Experiments in engagement: Designing public engagement with science and technology for capacity building.

PubMed

Selin, Cynthia; Rawlings, Kelly Campbell; de Ridder-Vignone, Kathryn; Sadowski, Jathan; Altamirano Allende, Carlo; Gano, Gretchen; Davies, Sarah R; Guston, David H

2017-08-01

Public engagement with science and technology is now widely used in science policy and communication. Touted as a means of enhancing democratic discussion of science and technology, analysis of public engagement with science and technology has shown that it is often weakly tied to scientific governance. In this article, we suggest that the notion of capacity building might be a way of reframing the democratic potential of public engagement with science and technology activities. Drawing on literatures from public policy and administration, we outline how public engagement with science and technology might build citizen capacity, before using the notion of capacity building to develop five principles for the design of public engagement with science and technology. We demonstrate the use of these principles through a discussion of the development and realization of the pilot for a large-scale public engagement with science and technology activity, the Futurescape City Tours, which was carried out in Arizona in 2012.

A picture really is worth a thousand words: Public engagement with cancer information on social media

PubMed Central

Strekalova, Yulia A.; Krieger, Janice L.

2016-01-01

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) provides pertinent information about cancer prevention, treatment, and research advancements that is considered objective and accurate. NCI's presence on social media is an example of a growing effort in promoting and facilitating audience-engagement with evidence-based information about health and cancer. However, it is unknown what strategies are most effective for engaging audiences via this communication platform. To evaluate this important question, we analyzed data on posts, associated comments, and meta-data from official NCI Facebook page between July 2010 and February 2015 (end of data collection). Results show that audience engagement is associated with the format of cancer-related social media posts. Specifically, posts with photos received significantly more likes, comments, and shares than videos, links, and status updates. The findings have important implications for how social media can be more effectively utilized to promote public engagement with important public health issues. PMID:26351003

On being a (modern) scientist: risks of public engagement in the UK interspecies embryo debate

PubMed Central

Porter, James; Williams, Clare; Wainwright, Steven; Cribb, Alan

2012-01-01

In 2006, a small group of UK academic scientists made headlines when they proposed the creation of interspecies embryos – mixing human and animal genetic material. A public campaign was fought to mobilize support for the research. Drawing on interviews with the key scientists involved, this paper argues that engaging the public through communicating their ideas via the media can result in tensions between the necessity of, and inherent dangers in, scientists campaigning on controversial issues. Some scientists believed that communicating science had damaged their professional standing in the eyes of their peers, who, in turn, policed the boundaries around what they believed constituted a “good” scientist. Tensions between promoting “science” versus promotion of the “scientist;” engaging the public versus publishing peer-reviewed articles and winning grants; and building expectations versus overhyping the science reveal the difficult choices scientists in the modern world have to make over the potential gains and risks of communicating science. We conclude that although scientists' participation in public debates is often encouraged, the rewards of such engagement remain. Moreover, this participation can detrimentally affect scientists' careers. PMID:23293548

Engaging Students, Teachers, and the Public with NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Assets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, P. V.; Foxworth, S.; Kascak, A.; Luckey, M. K.; Mcinturff, B.; Runco, S.; Willis, K. J.

2016-01-01

Engaging students, teachers, and the public with NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) assets, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experts and NASA curation astromaterial samples, provides an extraordinary opportunity to connect citizens with authentic aspects unique to our nation's space program. Effective engagement can occur through both virtual connections such as webcasts and in-person connections at educator workshops and public outreach events. Access to NASA ARES assets combined with adaptable resources and techniques that engage and promote scientific thinking helps translate the science and research being facilitated through NASA exploration, elicits a curiosity that aims to carry over even after a given engagement, and prepares our next generation of scientific explorers.

Stakeholder engagement for promoting the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT): Malaysia’s experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, F. I. A.; Zolkaffly, M. Z.; Jamal, N.

2018-01-01

In order to keep abreast on issues related to CTBT in Malaysia, Malaysian Nuclear Agency (Nuklear Malaysia), as the CTBT National Authority in Malaysia, has collaborated with local partners to implement various stakeholder engagement programme. This paper aims at highlighting Malaysia’s approach in promoting CTBT through stakeholder engagement programme targeted at multilevel stakeholders, both national and international. Such programmes includes participation in the international forums, inter-agency meetings, awareness seminars, training courses, technical visits to IMS station, promoting civil and scientific application of International Monitoring System (IMS) data and International Data Centre (IDC) products using Virtual Data Exploitation Center (vDEC), inviting youth groups to participate in the CTBTO Youth Group, and publications of CTBT-related topics. This approach has successfully fortify Malaysia’s commitments at the international level, enhanced national awareness of global multilateral framework, increased stakeholders awareness and their roles related to CTBT, as well as building domestic capacity on CTBT matters. In conclusion, stakeholder engagement is crucial in promoting and enhancing stakeholders understanding on CTBT. Continuous engagement with relevant stakeholders will enable effective dissemination and smooth implementation of CTBT related matters that will eventually support global universalization of CTBT.

Promotion of Civic Engagement with the Family Leadership Training Institute.

PubMed

MacPhee, David; Forlenza, Eileen; Christensen, Kyle; Prendergast, Sarah

2017-12-01

In this efficacy study, both quantitative and qualitative data were used to gauge the effects of the Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI) on civic knowledge and empowerment, civic engagement, and community health. The sample of 847 FLTI participants and 166 comparison adults completed pretest and posttest surveys. Medium to very large short-term effects were observed in civic literacy, empowerment, and engagement. Results mapping interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of FLTI graduates (n = 52) to assess long-term (M = 2.73 years) program impact. Most FLTI graduates (86%) sustained meaningful, sometimes transformative, levels of civic engagement after program completion. This engagement involved multiple forms of leadership, most often advocacy, program implementation, and media campaigns; 63% of graduates directed at least some of their activities to marginalized populations. Content analyses of graduates' civic (capstone) projects and results mapping story maps indicated that 81-90% of community activities aligned with public health priorities. Thus, one promising means to promote community health is to empower families to develop leadership skills, become engaged in civic life, and forge connections with diverse constituents. © Society for Community Research and Action 2017.

Collaborating with Scientists in Education and Public Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shupla, Christine; Shaner, Andrew; Smith Hackler, Amanda

2016-10-01

The Education and Public Engagement team at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) is developing a scientific advisory board, to gather input from planetary scientists for ways that LPI can help them with public engagement, such as connecting them to opportunities, creating useful resources, and providing training. The advisory board will assist in outlining possible roles of scientists in public engagement, provide feedback on LPI scientist engagement efforts, and encourage scientists to participate in various education and public engagement events.LPI's scientists have participated in a variety of education programs, including teacher workshops, family events, public presentations, informal educator trainings, and communication workshops. Scientists have helped conduct hands-on activities, participated in group discussions, and given talks, while sharing their own career paths and interests; these activities have provided audiences with a clearer vision of how science is conducted and how they can become engaged in science themselves.This poster will share the status and current findings of the scientist advisory board, and the lessons learned regarding planetary scientists' needs, abilities, and interests in participating in education and public engagement programs.

Collaborating with Scientists in Education and Public Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shupla, C. B.; Shaner, A. J.; Hackler, A. S.

2016-12-01

The Education and Public Engagement team at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) is developing a scientific advisory board, to gather input from planetary scientists for ways that LPI can help them with public engagement (such as connecting them to opportunities, creating useful resources, and providing training). The advisory board will also assist in outlining possible roles of scientists in public engagement, provide feedback on LPI scientist engagement efforts, and encourage scientists to participate in various education and public engagement events. LPI's scientists have participated in a variety of education programs, including teacher workshops, family events, public presentations, informal educator trainings, and communication workshops. Scientists have helped conduct hands-on activities, participated in group discussions, and given talks, while sharing their own career paths and interests; these activities have provided audiences with a clearer vision of how science is conducted and how they can become engaged in science themselves. We will share the status and current findings of the scientist advisory board, and the resulting lessons learned regarding scientists' needs, abilities, and interests in participating in education and public engagement programs.

Becoming an Engaged Campus: A Practical Guide for Institutionalizing Public Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beere, Carole A.; Votruba, James C.; Wells, Gail W.

2011-01-01

"Becoming an Engaged Campus" offers campus leaders a systematic and detailed approach to creating an environment where public engagement can grow and flourish. The book explains not only what to do to expand community engagement and how to do it, but it also explores how to document, evaluate, and communicate university engagement efforts. An…

A Picture Really is Worth a Thousand Words: Public Engagement with the National Cancer Institute on Social Media.

PubMed

Strekalova, Yulia A; Krieger, Janice L

2017-03-01

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) provides pertinent information about cancer prevention, treatment, and research advancements that is considered objective and accurate. NCI's presence on social media is an example of a growing effort in promoting and facilitating audience engagement with evidence-based information about health and cancer. However, it is unknown what strategies are most effective for engaging audiences via this communication platform. To evaluate this important question, we analyzed data on posts, associated comments, and meta-data from official NCI Facebook page between July 2010 and February 2015 (end of data collection). Results show that audience engagement is associated with the format of cancer-related social media posts. Specifically, posts with photos received significantly more likes, comments, and shares than videos, links, and status updates. The findings have important implications for how social media can be more effectively utilized to promote public engagement with important public health issues.

Informing public health policy through deliberative public engagement: perceived impact on participants and citizen-government relations.

PubMed

Molster, Caron; Potts, Ayla; McNamara, Beverley; Youngs, Leanne; Maxwell, Susannah; Dawkins, Hugh; O'Leary, Peter

2013-09-01

Deliberative public engagement has been proposed for policy development, where issues are complex and there are diverse public perspectives and low awareness of competing issues. Scholars suggest a range of potential outcomes for citizens and government agencies from involvement in such processes. Few studies have examined outcomes from the perspective of citizen participants in deliberative processes. To examine participant perceptions of their involvement in and outcomes of a deliberative engagement exercise. A case study using semistructured interviews was conducted with participants following a deliberative forum on biobanking. From their involvement in the deliberative exercise, participants described transformations in their knowledge and beliefs about the policy issues. They reported being more informed to the extent of having confidence to educate others and effectively contribute to public policy development. They had developed greater trust in government policymakers who they believed would take reasonable account of their recommendations. We conclude that the participants were satisfied with the outcomes of the deliberative public engagement process and viewed it as an effective means of citizen involvement in public policy development. Particularly for citizens who participate in deliberative processes, such processes may promote active citizenship, empower citizens to undertake representative and educative roles, and improve relations between citizens and government agencies. Actions taken by policymakers subsequent to the deliberative exercise, whereby the majority of citizen recommendations were incorporated in the policy developed, may have contributed to participants holding sustained levels of trust in the commissioning government agency.

Evaluating social media's capacity to develop engaged audiences in health promotion settings: use of Twitter metrics as a case study.

PubMed

Neiger, Brad L; Thackeray, Rosemary; Burton, Scott H; Giraud-Carrier, Christophe G; Fagen, Michael C

2013-03-01

Use of social media in health promotion and public health continues to grow in popularity, though most of what is reported in literature represents one-way messaging devoid of attributes associated with engagement, a core attribute, if not the central purpose, of social media. This article defines engagement, describes its value in maximizing the potential of social media in health promotion, proposes an evaluation hierarchy for social media engagement, and uses Twitter as a case study to illustrate how the hierarchy might function in practice. Partnership and participation are proposed as culminating outcomes for social media use in health promotion. As use of social media in health promotion moves toward this end, evaluation metrics that verify progress and inform subsequent strategies will become increasingly important.

Microbiologists’ Public Engagement Views and Behaviors †

PubMed Central

Besley, John; Kahlor, Lee Ann; Koh, Hyeseung; Copple, Jacob; Yuan, Shupei

2018-01-01

In this study, we present results from an extensive survey of US-based microbiologists (adults) to explore these scientists’ perceptions and behaviors related to communicating their research. Specifically, we explored the frequency with which microbiologists engage in public communication, how they evaluate their public communication experiences, and the factors associated with their willingness to engage in face-to-face and online public communication in the future. Data from a multi-wave online survey suggest that microbiologists (N = 903) are somewhat frequent communicators who derive great value from their outreach efforts. The results further suggest that social and psychological drivers of future intentions to engage with the public are consistent with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Specifically, microbiologists with more positive attitudes toward engagement were more willing to partake in direct and online communication activities. Similarly, microbiologists who believe they possess communication skills are more willing than their less efficacious colleagues to do either type of outreach. Our results also indicate that more-senior and more-active researchers are more willing to participate in direct and online engagement. Implications for communication training are discussed. PMID:29904524

Mapping Public Engagement with Research in a UK University

PubMed Central

Grand, Ann; Davies, Gareth; Holliman, Richard; Adams, Anne

2015-01-01

Notwithstanding that ‘public engagement’ is conceptualised differently internationally and in different academic disciplines, higher education institutions largely accept the importance of public engagement with research. However, there is limited evidence on how researchers conceptualise engagement, their views on what constitutes engagement and the communities they would (or would not) like to engage with. This paper presents the results of a survey of researchers in the Open University that sought to gather data to fill these gaps. This research was part of an action research project designed to embed engagement in the routine practices of researchers at all levels. The findings indicate that researchers have a relatively narrow view of public engagement with research and the communities with which they interact. It also identified that very few strategically evaluate their public engagement activities. We conclude by discussing some of the interventions we have introduced with the aim of broadening and deepening future researcher engagement. PMID:25837803

Public Engagement and Nanotechnology in Australia.

PubMed

Dalton-Brown, Sally

2016-07-01

Upstream engagement is commonly regarded as necessary for the smooth implementation of new technologies, particularly when there is an impact on health. Is the healthcare context in Australia geared toward such public engagement? There are established engagement practices for issues of healthcare resourcing, for example; however, the situation becomes more complex with the introduction of a new technology such as nanomedicine.

Rural Public Libraries as Community Change Agents: Opportunities for Health Promotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flaherty, Mary Grace; Miller, David

2016-01-01

Rural residents are at a disadvantage with regard to health status and access to health promotion activities. In many rural communities, public libraries offer support through health information provision; there are also opportunities for engagement in broader community health efforts. In a collaborative effort between an academic researcher and a…

The Effectiveness of Prompts to Promote Engagement With Digital Interventions: A Systematic Review.

PubMed

Alkhaldi, Ghadah; Hamilton, Fiona L; Lau, Rosa; Webster, Rosie; Michie, Susan; Murray, Elizabeth

2016-01-08

Digital interventions have been effective in improving numerous health outcomes and health behaviors; furthermore, they are increasingly being used in different health care areas, including self-management of long-term conditions, mental health, and health promotion. The full potential of digital interventions is hindered by a lack of user engagement. There is an urgent need to develop effective strategies that can promote users' engagement with digital interventions. One potential method is the use of technology-based reminders or prompts. To evaluate the effectiveness of technology-based strategies for promoting engagement with digital interventions. Cochrane Collaboration guidelines on systematic review methodology were followed. The search strategy was executed across 7 electronic databases: the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO, and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). Databases were searched from inception to September 13, 2013, with no language or publication type restrictions, using three concepts: randomized controlled trials, digital interventions, and engagement. Gray literature and reference lists of included studies were also searched. Titles and abstracts were independently screened by 2 authors, then the full texts of potentially eligible papers were obtained and double-screened. Data from eligible papers were extracted by one author and checked for accuracy by another author. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. Narrative synthesis was performed on all included studies and, where appropriate, data were pooled using meta-analysis. All findings were reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 14 studies were included in the review with 8774 participants. Of the 14 studies, 9 had sufficient data

Promoting Student Engagement. Volume 1: Programs, Techniques and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Richard L., Ed.; Amsel, Eric, Ed.; Kowalewski, Brenda Marsteller, Ed.; Beins, Bernard C., Ed.; Keith, Kenneth D., Ed.; Peden, Blaine F., Ed.

2011-01-01

To promote student engagement, professors must actively seek to create the conditions that foster engagement. Chickering and Gamson (1987) suggest that good practices in undergraduate education are ones that: encourage student-faculty contact, develop reciprocity and cooperation among students, encourage active learning, provide students with…

Mind the gap: social media engagement by public health researchers.

PubMed

Keller, Brett; Labrique, Alain; Jain, Kriti M; Pekosz, Andrew; Levine, Orin

2014-01-14

The traditional vertical system of sharing information from sources of scientific authority passed down to the public through local health authorities and clinicians risks being made obsolete by emerging technologies that facilitate rapid horizontal information sharing. The rise of Public Health 2.0 requires professional acknowledgment that a new and substantive forum of public discourse about public health exists on social media, such as forums, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Some public health professionals have used social media in innovative ways: to surveil populations, gauge public opinion, disseminate health information, and promote mutually beneficial interactions between public health professionals and the lay public. Although innovation is on the rise, most in the public health establishment remain skeptical of this rapidly evolving landscape or are unclear about how it could be used. We sought to evaluate the extent to which public health professionals are engaged in these spaces. We conducted a survey of professorial- and scientist-track faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We asked all available faculty via email to complete a 30-question survey about respondent characteristics, beliefs about social media, and usage of specific technologies, including blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. A total of 181 (19.8%) of 912 professor- and scientist-track faculty provided usable responses. The majority of respondents rarely used major social media platforms. Of these 181 respondents, 97 (53.6%) had used YouTube, 84 (46.4%) had used Facebook, 55 (30.4%) had read blogs, and 12 (6.6%) had used Twitter in the prior month. More recent degree completion was the best predictor of higher usage of social media. In all, 122 (67.4%) agreed that social media is important for disseminating information, whereas only 55 (30.4%) agreed that social media is useful for their research. In all, 43 (23.8%) said social media

Promoting Student Engagement in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bundick, Matthew J.; Quaglia, Russell J.; Corso, Michael J.; Haywood, Dawn E.

2014-01-01

Background/Context: Much progress has been made toward a greater understanding of student engagement and its role in promoting a host of desirable outcomes, including academic outcomes such as higher achievement and reduced dropout, as well as various well-being and life outcomes. Nonetheless, disengagement in our schools is widespread. This may…

Geophysicists' views about public engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Besley, J. C.; Dudo, A.; Yuan, S.

2016-12-01

The proposed talk would present the results of 2016 survey of American Geophysical Union members (n = 2040) about public engagement. This survey took place as part of a broader, NSF funded, study of engagement views across eight different U.S.-based scientific societies. The presentation would include data about geophysicists' past engagement behavior and willingness to engage alongside data about engagement attitudes, perceived norms (i.e. beliefs about whether peers engage and value engagement), and perceived efficacy (i.e., scientists' beliefs about their own communication skills and the impact of engagement). The presentation would also include results that describe scientists' overall goals for engagement (e.g., increasing support for specific policy positions, changing citizen behavior, etc.), as well as their communication-specific objectives (e.g., increasing knowledge, increase excitement, etc.). All of the results would be put in the context of equivalent results from scientists from seven other societies across a variety of fields, including chemistry, biology, and the social sciences. Three themes that would be emphasized in the presentation include (1) the fact that there are substantial commonalities in engagement views across scientific fields, (2) the important role that perceived engagement skill (efficacy) appears to play in predicting engagement willingness, and (3) a lack of evidence that scientists are thinking about engagement in strategic ways. Strategic engagement, in this regard, would involve setting clear goals and then choosing activities that the social science of science communication suggests might allow one to achieve those goals. The presentation would conclude with thoughts about what might be done to improve the effectiveness of science communication training.

Sex & Bugs & Rock 'n Roll--getting creative about public engagement.

PubMed

Sayer, Emma J; Featherstone, Helen C; Gosling, William D

2014-02-01

Public engagement is widely recognized as a key priority for achieving societal support for research. We spotlight creativity in public engagement as a way of reaching wider audiences and incentivising researcher involvement, demonstrating some of the possibilities with a recent initiative to engage the public with ecology at music festivals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reaching out to the hard to reach: using a science centre model to deliver public engagement with research.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagen, M.; Allton, C.; Bryan, W. A.; O'Leary, M.

2017-12-01

Science communication is at an all-time high but public faith in expertise is low. However, within this climate of suspicion, research scientists remain a publicly trusted expert group. While there is both academic and public appetite for Public Engagement with Research (PER), there are barriers to reaching a wide range of publics. Attempts to connect the public with research often end up targeting the `already engaged'; the hard-to-reach remain just that. Engaging scientific curiosity in a wider demographic is crucial to promote scientific curiosity, itself known to profoundly counter the politically motivated reasoning that threatens informed debate around contemporary environmental issues. This requires the creation of opportunities for the public to engage with research in places in which they feel they belong. We report here on an 8 month pilot of a science centre model for PER. Oriel Science (www.orielscience.co.uk) is a research-led science exhibition in Swansea city centre delivering Swansea University's PER and run by academics and student ambassadors. Oriel Science (Oriel is Gallery in Welsh) received 16,000 visitors in 8 months, 40% of whom had no previous interaction with the university or its research and >40% of whom came from socio-economically deprived areas. We report on the public engagement leadership we enabled, working with 18 research groups over 8 months and our achievements in giving a broad range of publics the most direct access to participate in contemporary science.

Promoting Engaged Scholars: Matching Tenure Policy and Scholarly Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert-Pennington, Katherine

2016-01-01

This article explores what an uneven embrace of community engagement means for faculty as they apply for tenure and promotion. It closely examines how three faculty members (including the author) from different departments framed and discussed their engaged scholarly contributions in the presence or absence of departmental guidelines on engaged…

Narratives of community engagement: a systematic review-derived conceptual framework for public health interventions.

PubMed

Brunton, Ginny; Thomas, James; O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Jamal, Farah; Oliver, Sandy; Kavanagh, Josephine

2017-12-11

Government policy increasingly supports engaging communities to promote health. It is critical to consider whether such strategies are effective, for whom, and under what circumstances. However, 'community engagement' is defined in diverse ways and employed for different reasons. Considering the theory and context we developed a conceptual framework which informs understanding about what makes an effective (or ineffective) community engagement intervention. We conducted a systematic review of community engagement in public health interventions using: stakeholder involvement; searching, screening, appraisal and coding of research literature; and iterative thematic syntheses and meta-analysis. A conceptual framework of community engagement was refined, following interactions between the framework and each review stage. From 335 included reports, three products emerged: (1) two strong theoretical 'meta-narratives': one, concerning the theory and practice of empowerment/engagement as an independent objective; and a more utilitarian perspective optimally configuring health services to achieve defined outcomes. These informed (2) models that were operationalized in subsequent meta-analysis. Both refined (3) the final conceptual framework. This identified multiple dimensions by which community engagement interventions may differ. Diverse combinations of intervention purpose, theory and implementation were noted, including: ways of defining communities and health needs; initial motivations for community engagement; types of participation; conditions and actions necessary for engagement; and potential issues influencing impact. Some dimensions consistently co-occurred, leading to three overarching models of effective engagement which either: utilised peer-led delivery; employed varying degrees of collaboration between communities and health services; or built on empowerment philosophies. Our conceptual framework and models are useful tools for considering appropriate and

Rethinking the relationship between science and society: Has there been a shift in attitudes to Patient and Public Involvement and Public Engagement in Science in the United Kingdom?

PubMed

Boaz, Annette; Biri, Despina; McKevitt, Christopher

2016-06-01

The policy imperative to engage the public and patients in research can be seen as part of a wider shift in the research environment. This study addresses the question: Has there been a shift in attitudes to Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and Public Engagement in Science (PES) amongst researchers? Attitudes to PPI and PES within a cluster of three NIHR supported Biomedical Research Centres were explored through in-depth interviews with 19 researchers. Participants distinguished PPI (as an activity involving patients and carers in research projects and programmes) from PES (as an activity that aims to communicate research findings to the public, engage the public with broader issues of science policy or promote a greater understanding of the role of science in society). While participants demonstrated a range of attitudes to these practices, they shared a resistance to sharing power and control of the research process with the public and patients. While researchers were prepared to engage with the public and patients and listed the advantages of engagement, the study revealed few differences in their underlying attitudes towards the role of society in science (and science in society) to those reported in previous studies. To the participants science remains the preserve of scientists, with patients and the public invited to 'tinker at the edges'. © 2014 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mind the Gap: Social Media Engagement by Public Health Researchers

PubMed Central

Keller, Brett; Jain, Kriti M; Pekosz, Andrew; Levine, Orin

2014-01-01

Background The traditional vertical system of sharing information from sources of scientific authority passed down to the public through local health authorities and clinicians risks being made obsolete by emerging technologies that facilitate rapid horizontal information sharing. The rise of Public Health 2.0 requires professional acknowledgment that a new and substantive forum of public discourse about public health exists on social media, such as forums, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Objective Some public health professionals have used social media in innovative ways: to surveil populations, gauge public opinion, disseminate health information, and promote mutually beneficial interactions between public health professionals and the lay public. Although innovation is on the rise, most in the public health establishment remain skeptical of this rapidly evolving landscape or are unclear about how it could be used. We sought to evaluate the extent to which public health professionals are engaged in these spaces. Methods We conducted a survey of professorial- and scientist-track faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We asked all available faculty via email to complete a 30-question survey about respondent characteristics, beliefs about social media, and usage of specific technologies, including blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Results A total of 181 (19.8%) of 912 professor- and scientist-track faculty provided usable responses. The majority of respondents rarely used major social media platforms. Of these 181 respondents, 97 (53.6%) had used YouTube, 84 (46.4%) had used Facebook, 55 (30.4%) had read blogs, and 12 (6.6%) had used Twitter in the prior month. More recent degree completion was the best predictor of higher usage of social media. In all, 122 (67.4%) agreed that social media is important for disseminating information, whereas only 55 (30.4%) agreed that social media is useful for their research

eHealth promotion and social innovation with youth: using social and visual media to engage diverse communities.

PubMed

Norman, Cameron D; Yip, Andrea L

2012-01-01

Social media and the multimedia networks that they support provide a platform for engaging youth and young adults across diverse contexts in a manner that supports different forms of creative expression. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience using eHealth promotion strategies to youth engagement, the Youth Voices Research Group (YVRG) and its partners have created novel opportunities for young people to explore health topics ranging from tobacco use, food security, mental health, to navigation of health services. Through applying systems and design thinking, the YVRG approach to engaging youth will be presented using examples from its research and practice that combine social organizing with arts-informed methods for creative expression using information technology. This presentation focuses on the way in which the YVRG has introduced interactive blogging, photographic elicitation, and video documentaries, alongside real-world social action projects, to promote youth health and to assist in research and evaluation. Opportunities and barriers including literacy and access to technology are discussed and presented along with emerging areas of research including more effective use of smartphones and social networking platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in health promotion and public health.

Public engagement with CCS: barriers, key issues and ways forward

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xenias, Dimitrios

2017-04-01

Although Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is recognised as a crucial transition technology to a low-carbon world, it has not been popular with the public or some governments (e.g. the UK). Also, despite its use in industrial processes for decades, CCS remains and unfamiliar technology for most publics. It is therefore important to foster top-down and bottom-up acceptance of large scale CCS. In an exploratory round of interviews we canvassed the views of British, Dutch, German and Norwegian experts (N=13) with previous experience in public engagement with CCS. They identified barriers and drivers for CCS deployment and public engagement with CCS. Thematic analysis revealed a small number of recurrent issues, including: (a) lack of political leadership on CCS; (b) lack of public knowledge on relevant technologies and (c) difficulty communicating why CCS is necessary. Emphasis on these barriers varied with the level of experts' engagement with the public. More interestingly, although most experts agreed on the importance of public engagement, their views divided between 'why' engage and 'how' best to do this. In a subsequent expert survey (N=99) interview findings were reinforced: public support was seen as important for CCS roll-out (72%), though lower than political support and funding. The survey also showed that local public was expected to experience most risks, while global public will experience most benefits; whereas local business is seen to benefit more than global. Experts were overwhelmingly positive about CCS - risks outweigh benefits, and are confident that CCS will play a major role in climate change mitigation (along with reduced energy demand and renewables). These findings will be expanded on and triangulated in a follow-up public survey which will benefit those involved with public engagement with CCS.

Mars Public Engagement Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Christine

2009-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the Mars public engagement goal to understand and protect our home planet, explore the Universe and search for life, and to inspire the next generation of explorers. Teacher workshops, robotics education, Mars student imaging and analysis programs, MARS Student Imaging Project (MSIP), Russian student participation, MARS museum visualization alliance, and commercialization concepts are all addressed in this project.

Learning from experts on public engagement with CCS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xenias, Dimitrios; Whitmarsh, Lorraine

2016-04-01

Carbon Capture and Storage is a key technology for the transition to a low carbon economy. There are thus strong normative, substantive and instrumental rationales for public acceptance of large scale CCS. In this study, we interviewed 12 experts in CCS from the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany. The experts had previous experience on public engagement on CCS, and were asked to identify barriers and drivers for CCS deployment and public engagement with CCS. Interviews lasted between 40 and 70 minutes. Thematic analysis revealed a small number of recurrent issues, including: (a) lack of political leadership on the matter; (b) lack of public knowledge on relevant technologies, which may not however always be necessary; and (c) difficulty communicating why CCS is not a direct substitute for renewable energy generation. Despite the recent government disengagement from CCS funding in the UK, another surprise finding was that lack of funding and political leadership was a perceived barrier internationally. These emergent views inform a follow-up online survey with the UK public, currently in preparation, which will expand on and triangulate the present findings and lead to development of a toolkit for the benefit of those involved with public engagement with CCS.

Crumbs: Lightweight Daily Food Challenges to Promote Engagement and Mindfulness

PubMed Central

Epstein, Daniel A.; Cordeiro, Felicia; Fogarty, James; Hsieh, Gary; Munson, Sean A.

2017-01-01

Many people struggle with efforts to make healthy behavior changes, such as healthy eating. Several existing approaches promote healthy eating, but present high barriers and yield limited engagement. As a lightweight alternative approach to promoting mindful eating, we introduce and examine crumbs: daily food challenges completed by consuming one food that meets the challenge. We examine crumbs through developing and deploying the iPhone application Food4Thought. In a 3-week field study with 61 participants, crumbs supported engagement and mindfulness while offering opportunities to learn about food. Our 2×2 study compared nutrition versus non-nutrition crumbs coupled with social versus non-social features. Nutrition crumbs often felt more purposeful to participants, but non-nutrition crumbs increased mindfulness more than nutrition crumbs. Social features helped sustain engagement and were important for engagement with non-nutrition crumbs. Social features also enabled learning about the variety of foods other people use to meet a challenge. PMID:28503679

Genomics England's implementation of its public engagement strategy: Blurred boundaries between engagement for the United Kingdom's 100,000 Genomes project and the need for public support.

PubMed

Samuel, Gabrielle Natalie; Farsides, Bobbie

2018-04-01

The United Kingdom's 100,000 Genomes Project has the aim of sequencing 100,000 genomes from National Health Service patients such that whole genome sequencing becomes routine clinical practice. It also has a research-focused goal to provide data for scientific discovery. Genomics England is the limited company established by the Department of Health to deliver the project. As an innovative scientific/clinical venture, it is interesting to consider how Genomics England positions itself in relation to public engagement activities. We set out to explore how individuals working at, or associated with, Genomics England enacted public engagement in practice. Our findings show that individuals offered a narrative in which public engagement performed more than one function. On one side, public engagement was seen as 'good practice'. On the other, public engagement was presented as core to the project's success - needed to encourage involvement and ultimately recruitment. We discuss the implications of this in this article.

Promoting the Priorities of Practitioner Research Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Hazel

2010-01-01

One of the aims of the Library and Information Science Research Coalition is to promote library and information science practitioner research. Successfully meeting this aim should result in greater use of the existing knowledge base and the creation of new knowledge on Library and Information Science (LIS) practice. LIS practitioner engagement in…

[Recommandation for patient engagement promotion in care and cure for chronic conditions.

PubMed

Graffigna, Guendalina; Barello, Serena; Riva, Giuseppe; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Corbo, Massimo; Coppola, Liliana; Daverio, Giovanni; Fauci, Alice; Iannone, Primiano; Ricciardi, Walter; Bosio, Albino Claudio

2017-11-01

The concept of patient engagement is receiving a growing attention in the healthcare field. The last decades have seen a deep revision of care models in the aim of a greater acknowledge of the patient role, seen as an expert actor, in the healthcare process. On the other side, healthcare systems are facing a growing request for participation expressed by citizens and patients. People claim for being more involved in all the crucial turning point of their healthcare journey and of being better aware of their right and duties. They require a deeper knowledge about all the different therapeutic options with the related risks and advantages. However, although all the different stakeholders agree in considering patient engagement a pragmatic further then ethical priority, a shared consensus related to the strategies and instrument to promote has still to come. Patients and healthcare professional perspective about the factors that may hinder or sustain patient engagement still need to be further studied and at shared recommendations - about the programs better effective and efficient in promoting patient engagement - are still missed. Based on these premises, Università Cattolica of Milano and DG Welfare of Regione Lombardia, under the methodological supervision of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, promoted a consesus conference entitled "Recommendation for promoting patient engagement in healthcare for chronic conditions". This consensus conferences constituted the occasion of sharing and discussion among experts belonging to different clinical and institutional contexts as well as with representative of patients associations in order to identify good practices and effective tools to promote patient engagement in the care and cure process for chronic conditions.

Patient and public engagement in priority setting: A systematic rapid review of the literature.

PubMed

Manafò, Elizabeth; Petermann, Lisa; Vandall-Walker, Virginia; Mason-Lai, Ping

2018-01-01

identifying the patient engagement literature for review, bias in article selection due to the identified scope, missed information due to a more limited use of exhaustive search strategies (e.g., in-depth hand searching), and the heterogeneity of reported study findings. The four public and patient engagement priority setting processes identified were successful in setting priorities that are inclusive and objectively based, specific to the priorities of stakeholders engaged in the process. The processes were robust, strategic and aimed to promote equity in patient voices. Key limitations identified a lack of evaluation data on the success and extent in which patients were engaged. Issues pertaining to feasibility of stakeholder engagement, coordination, communication and limited resources were also considered.

Promoting EFL Teacher Research Engagement through a Research Support Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Maamari, Faisal; Al-Aamri, Kamla; Khammash, Samar; Al-Wahaibi, Munira

2017-01-01

Existing initiatives purporting to promote teacher research are often found to be inadequate to encourage EFL teachers to engage in research due to the fact that they impose a top down, expert model approach to research engagement. This study reports on a pioneering programme at Sultan Qaboos University Language Centre in the Sultanate of Oman…

Scientists: Engage the Public!

PubMed Central

Shugart, Erika C.

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT Scientists must communicate about science with public audiences to promote an understanding of complex issues that we face in our technologically advanced society. Some scientists may be concerned about a social stigma or “Sagan effect” associated with participating in public communication. Recent research in the social sciences indicates that public communication by scientists is not a niche activity but is widely done and can be beneficial to a scientist’s career. There are a variety of approaches that scientists can take to become active in science communication. PMID:26695633

An Emerging Ethic of Responsibility: A Case Study for Engaging the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandia, S. A.; Abraham, J. A.

2010-12-01

Recent trends in the public’s understanding of climate change have diverged from the broad, and well-documented consensus held by scientists. While the level of consensus regarding climate change among scientists is very high, the public remains deeply divided. Furthermore, a large percentage of the general public perceives that a serious debate exists within the science community on the basic theory of anthropogenic climate change. This disconnect between the scientific community and the general public should motivate scientists to take a more active role in public outreach. Recent stories in the media have increased the public’s resistance to climate change. Included here are Climategate, mistakes in the IPCC regarding Himalayan glacial melt, and other reports (inaccurately reported) about IPCC errors related to the sensitivity of the Amazon rainforest to a changing climate. Along with these stories, there has been a well-documented increase in activism by “skeptical scientists” and by “skeptical non-scientists” to engage the public with a goal of promoting the perception of a serious debate within the science community. Also during the past few years, a number of scientists who have taken an active role in educating the general public have come under political, scientific, and personal pressure. The resistance exerted on scientists who become public educators has caused many scientists to avoid outreach efforts. Here, the authors present a case study for a successful effort to engage the public on the issue of climate change. We utilized a number of media methods to cause a significant impact on the public discussion of global warming. In addition, the effort has begun to affect legislative processes within the United States and abroad. The authors present this case study to provide a roadmap to colleagues who wish to participate in public outreach.

Overcoming Barriers to Public Engagement through a Multi-Institution Consortium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, K. F.; Weiss, M.; Garlick, S.

2016-12-01

A growing body of evidence suggests that public engagement with science (PES) can enhance the relevance and impact of science on society. At the same time, advances in our understanding of public engagement suggest that greater skills, resources, and time horizons are often required to create effective programs. Consequently, despite a proliferation of training programs, many scientists still face the challenge of balancing the demands of public engagement with the requirements of their disciplinary research. Novel institutions are emerging that bring together interdisciplinary networks of principle investigators with PES practitioners to overcome barriers to effective and sustained public engagement in the environmental sciences. We will use the Science Policy Exchange (SPE), a consortium housed at the Harvard Forest, Harvard University, to illustrate how PIs and PES practitioners can collaborate to design public engagement processes, conduct policy-relevant scientific syntheses, and implement science communication strategies. Results from two SPE case studies demonstrate how multi-institutional consortia can help scientists overcome barriers such as lack of knowledge of evidence-based PES approaches, limits on time and funding to implement PES projects, and the need to integrate PES activities with research. The case studies also show how SPE strives to achieve credibility, saliency, and legitimacy in different public policy contexts: (1) engagement between scientists and local stakeholders to develop scenarios of landscape change; and (2) engagement between scientists and policy makers to understand the relationship between power plant emission standards, and air quality, human health and ecosystem function. The presentation will conclude with examples of how SPE programs have led to institutional change (staffing and budget), cultural change (attitudes and expectations of senior leaders), and research change (development of research questions, funding proposals

Public engagement in climate change - Disjunctions, tensions and blind spots in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höppner, C.

2009-11-01

There is much talk about engaging the public in climate change mitigation and adaptation in the UK and elsewhere. Governments rush to demand greater engagement of the public in tackling climate change and delivering sustainable futures. The importance that public engagement has gained as part of the UK climate agenda begs the questions of what is actually behind this call and what are the implications. This paper analyses the rationale for public engagement as enshrined in major policy documents. This rationale is clearly instrumental in that citizens are expected to engage by adopting the 'right attitude', by performing prescribed behaviours, and by consenting to proposed measures. Using recent cases of climate change mitigation and adaptation practice the paper discusses the implications of such an approach to public engagement. The paper concludes that until the manifold disjunctions between climate related policy agendas and their rationales for engagement are explicitly addressed citizen engagement will be serving incumbent interests rather than contributing to socially sustainable and democratic decision-making

Barriers and challenges affecting the contemporary church's engagement in health promotion.

PubMed

Ayton, Darshini; Manderson, Lenore; Smith, Ben J

2017-03-01

Issue addressed Christian churches have historically undertaken welfare and community service activities to practise faith and increase their relevance to communities. However, the church in Australia has received little attention from health promotion practitioners and researchers. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore the barriers and challenges that affect church engagement in health promotion to assist practitioners' understanding of the potential for these civil society organisations to play a role in health promotion programs and partnerships. Methods The research was based on interviews with five directors of church-affiliated organisations and with the church leaders (ministers, pastors, priests) of 30 churches in urban and rural Victoria. Analysis was iterative using open, axial and thematic coding. Results The challenges to church involvement in health promotion, as articulated by church leaders, fell under the themes of the social context of churches and the attributes of congregations. Major issues raised were perceived relevance, mistrust, contested agendas, discordant values within congregations, and risk management. Conclusion Although churches may take a different stance to health promotion agencies on a range of social and health issues, many have experience addressing social disadvantage and are prepared to commit resources to meet the needs of people outside their congregations. However, several factors inhibit the engagement of churches in health promotion including perceived irrelevance and community mistrust, agendas of conversion and values that conflict with health promotion. So what? Churches have a history of addressing social determinants of health such as housing, employment and food security. Deeper understanding of the challenges and barriers church leaders experience in undertaking health promotion work will facilitate more realistic and effective engagement by practitioners with these organisations.

Patient and public engagement in priority setting: A systematic rapid review of the literature

PubMed Central

Vandall-Walker, Virginia; Mason-Lai, Ping

2018-01-01

Inclusion Method/CHoosing All Together (US). Limitations The critical study limitations include challenges in comprehensively identifying the patient engagement literature for review, bias in article selection due to the identified scope, missed information due to a more limited use of exhaustive search strategies (e.g., in-depth hand searching), and the heterogeneity of reported study findings. Conclusion The four public and patient engagement priority setting processes identified were successful in setting priorities that are inclusive and objectively based, specific to the priorities of stakeholders engaged in the process. The processes were robust, strategic and aimed to promote equity in patient voices. Key limitations identified a lack of evaluation data on the success and extent in which patients were engaged. Issues pertaining to feasibility of stakeholder engagement, coordination, communication and limited resources were also considered. PMID:29499043

Genomics England’s implementation of its public engagement strategy: Blurred boundaries between engagement for the United Kingdom’s 100,000 Genomes project and the need for public support

PubMed Central

Samuel, Gabrielle Natalie; Farsides, Bobbie

2017-01-01

The United Kingdom’s 100,000 Genomes Project has the aim of sequencing 100,000 genomes from National Health Service patients such that whole genome sequencing becomes routine clinical practice. It also has a research-focused goal to provide data for scientific discovery. Genomics England is the limited company established by the Department of Health to deliver the project. As an innovative scientific/clinical venture, it is interesting to consider how Genomics England positions itself in relation to public engagement activities. We set out to explore how individuals working at, or associated with, Genomics England enacted public engagement in practice. Our findings show that individuals offered a narrative in which public engagement performed more than one function. On one side, public engagement was seen as ‘good practice’. On the other, public engagement was presented as core to the project’s success – needed to encourage involvement and ultimately recruitment. We discuss the implications of this in this article. PMID:29241419

Promoting tolerance and moral engagement through peer modeling.

PubMed

McAlister, A L; Ama, E; Barroso, C; Peters, R J; Kelder, S

2000-11-01

Behavioral journalism influences audiences by presenting peer modeling for cognitive processes that lead to behavior change. This technique was used in student newsletters promoting intergroup tolerance and moral engagement in a Houston high school with a diverse ethnic composition. Pretest (N = 393) and posttest (N = 363) cross-sectional comparisons of the student population in that school provided evidence of short-term (6 month) communication effects on attitudes and behavior. Tolerance and moral engagement increased among students in the school where behavioral journalism newsletters were distributed, and there was a corresponding reduction in hostile behavioral intentions and in reports of verbal aggression.

Participatory and social media to engage youth: from the Obama campaign to public health practice.

PubMed

Goodman, Jordi; Wennerstrom, Ashley; Springgate, Benjamin F

2011-01-01

Barack Obama's successful campaign for the presidency has been widely attributed to the use of social networking sites, mobile devices, and interactive websites to engage previously hard-to-reach populations in political activity. Campaign communication strategies may be applicable for youth health promotion efforts, particularly for the highly stigmatized issue of mental health. In this article, we examine elements of the 2008 Obama presidential campaign's use of social media technologies and content designed to foster effective political participation among youth. We outline how the same social media technologies may be applied to public health efforts focused on reaching and providing services to the 20% of young people who have a diagnosable mental disorder. We discuss the strengths and limitations of the application of these media to date, and raise questions about the future use of these media for engaging hard-to-reach populations in addressing stigmatized public health issues.

Navigating a Wayward Path toward Public Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DelNero, Peter

2017-01-01

Graduate school is an intense period of identity formation, where scholars-in-training form the attitudes and values that shape their research. The extent to which students assimilate public engagement into their academic formation may depend on the system of beliefs that underpin their particular field of study. In some fields, public engagement…

Health and medical research funding agencies' promotion of public engagement within research: a qualitative interview study exploring the United Kingdom context.

PubMed

van Bekkum, Jennifer E; Fergie, Gillian M; Hilton, Shona

2016-03-24

Public engagement (PE) has become a common feature of many liberal governmental agendas worldwide. Since the turn of this century there has been a succession of United Kingdom policy initiatives to encourage research funding agencies, universities and researchers to reconsider how they engage with citizens and communities. Although most funding agencies now explicitly promote PE within research, little empirical work has been carried out in this area. In this study, we explored why and how health and medical research funding agencies in the United Kingdom have interpreted and implemented their role to promote PE within research. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 30 key informants from 10 agencies that fund health or medical research. Data were also gathered from agencies' websites and documentation. The analysis was based on the constant comparative method. Across agencies, we found that PE was being interpreted and operationalised in various different ways. The terminology used within funding agencies to describe PE seems to be flexibly applied. Disciplinary differences were evident both in the terminology used to describe PE and the drivers for PE highlighted by participants - with applied health science funders more aligned with participatory models of PE. Within the grant funding process PE was rarely systematically treated as a key component of research. In particular, PE was not routinely incorporated into the planning of funding calls. PE was more likely to be considered in the application and assessment phases, where it was largely appraised as a tool for enhancing science. Concerns were expressed regarding how to monitor and evaluate PE within research. This study suggests funding agencies working within specific areas of health and medicine can promote particular definitions of PE and aligned practices which determine the boundaries in which researchers working in these areas understand and practice PE. Our study also highlights how the

We Engage, Therefore They Trust? A Study of Social Media Engagement and Public Trust in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwong, Y. L.; Oliver, C.; Van Kranendonk, M. J.

2017-12-01

Our society relies heavily on the trust that the public places in science to work. Given science's importance, the growing distrust in science is a cause for concern. Thanks to their participatory nature, social media have been touted as the promising tool for public engagement to restore public trust in science. These digital platforms have transformed the landscape of science communication yet little is known about their impact on public trust in science. This study probed several aspects of public trust in science as expressed on Twitter, focusing on two related science issues: space science and climate change. Our datasets comprised of 10,000 randomly sampled tweets over a month's period in 2016. We used human annotation and machine learning as our approach. Results indicated that the perceived contentiousness of a science issue has a significant impact on public trust. The level of distrust is higher in the climate change tweets than in the space science tweets, despite climate scientists being almost four times as active as space scientists in engaging with sceptics. However, people who engaged with scientists in the climate change network displayed a higher level of trust in science compared with those who did not. This effect was not observed in the space science network - in this network, there is no significant difference in trust levels between people who engaged with scientists and those who did not. Additionally, our machine learning study revealed that trust in science (as conveyed by tweets) can be predicted. The supervised learning algorithm that we developed was able to predict the trust labels of tweets in our sample with an accuracy of 84%. A further feature analysis indicated that similarity, presence of URL and authenticity are the properties of trust-inspiring tweets. Based on these findings, we argue that social media science communication is not as straightforward as `we engage, therefore they trust'. Public attitude towards science is often

Innovating undergraduate pathology education through public engagement.

PubMed

Mukundu Nagesh, Navin; Chiva Giurca, Bogdan; Lishman, Suzy

2018-05-01

The trends in modern undergraduate medical education focus on a patient-centred approach through problem-based learning over the traditional modular curriculum. Integrating pathology into this style of learning has resulted in the dilution of core scientific principles which may have contributed to reduced understanding and interest in the subject. We aim to innovate pathology education by utilising National Pathology Week which is organised by the Royal College of Pathologists to develop the public engagement model which empowers students to learn pathology by teaching the public. Through this model, we hope to generate a greater interest in pathology at both undergraduate and postgraduate stages of education. We obtained funding from the Royal College of Pathologists to organise National Pathology Week at Exeter Medical School and the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. We involved 125 undergraduate student volunteers from health-related courses. We designed a curriculum aiming to educate both students and public on current topics such as cancer screening programmes, antibiotic resistance, diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and the role of pathologists. We hosted 15 pathologists, biomedical scientists and microbiologists to engage with students, share experiences and offer an insight into their careers. Through this project, we interacted with over 500 members of the public and 150 school students. The medical student volunteers developed a range of skills including competent use of microscopes to visualise pathology slides, effective communication with lay audiences to teach pathology and understanding of the clinical application of pathology. We believe the public engagement model of teaching undergraduate students has the potential to develop a greater interest in pathology whilst benefitting the wider community.

Getting Research to the Policy Table: A Qualitative Study With Public Health Researchers on Engaging With Policy Makers

PubMed Central

Dodson, Elizabeth A.; Fleischhacker, Sheila; Siddiqi, Sameer; Quinn, Emilee L.

2015-01-01

Introduction Little attention has been given to how researchers can best provide evidence to policy makers so that it informs policy making. The objectives of this study were to increase understanding about the current state of public health nutrition and obesity researcher practices, beliefs, barriers, and facilitators to communicating and engaging with policy makers, and to identify best practices and suggest improvements. Methods Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted from 2011 to 2013 with public health nutrition and obesity researchers who were highly involved in communicating research to policy makers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed to identify common themes. Results Study participants described wide variation in practices for communicating and engaging with policy makers and had mixed beliefs about whether and when researchers should engage. Besides a lack of formal policy communication training, barriers noted were promotion and tenure processes and a professional culture that does not value communicating and engaging with policy makers. Study participants cited facilitators to engaging with policy makers as ranging from the individual level (eg, desire to make a difference, relationships with collaborators) to the institutional level (eg, training/mentorship support, institutional recognition). Other facilitators identified were research- and funding-driven. Promising strategies suggested to improve policy engagement were more formal training, better use of intermediaries, and learning how to cultivate relationships with policy makers. Conclusion Study findings provide insights into the challenges that will need to be overcome and the strategies that might be tried to improve communication and engagement between public health researchers and policy makers. PMID:25927604

Getting research to the policy table: a qualitative study with public health researchers on engaging with policy makers.

PubMed

Otten, Jennifer J; Dodson, Elizabeth A; Fleischhacker, Sheila; Siddiqi, Sameer; Quinn, Emilee L

2015-04-30

Little attention has been given to how researchers can best provide evidence to policy makers so that it informs policy making. The objectives of this study were to increase understanding about the current state of public health nutrition and obesity researcher practices, beliefs, barriers, and facilitators to communicating and engaging with policy makers, and to identify best practices and suggest improvements. Eighteen semistructured interviews were conducted from 2011 to 2013 with public health nutrition and obesity researchers who were highly involved in communicating research to policy makers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed to identify common themes. Study participants described wide variation in practices for communicating and engaging with policy makers and had mixed beliefs about whether and when researchers should engage. Besides a lack of formal policy communication training, barriers noted were promotion and tenure processes and a professional culture that does not value communicating and engaging with policy makers. Study participants cited facilitators to engaging with policy makers as ranging from the individual level (eg, desire to make a difference, relationships with collaborators) to the institutional level (eg, training/mentorship support, institutional recognition). Other facilitators identified were research- and funding-driven. Promising strategies suggested to improve policy engagement were more formal training, better use of intermediaries, and learning how to cultivate relationships with policy makers. Study findings provide insights into the challenges that will need to be overcome and the strategies that might be tried to improve communication and engagement between public health researchers and policy makers.

To Trust or Not to Trust? What Drives Public Trust in Science in Social Media Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwong, Y. L.; Oliver, C.; Van Kranendonk, M. J.

2017-12-01

The erosion of public trust in science is a serious concern today. This climate of distrust has real consequences, from the anti-vaccination movement to climate change denials. The age of social media promises opportunities for improved interactivity between scientists and the public, which experts hope will help improve public confidence in science. However, evidence linking social media engagement and public attitude towards science is scarce. Our study aimed to help fill this gap. We examined Twitter engagement and its impact on public trust in science, focusing on two related science issues: space science and climate change. Our datasets comprised of 10,000 randomly sampled tweets over a month's period in 2016. We used human annotation and machine learning to analyse the tweets. Results revealed the level of distrust was significantly higher in the climate change tweets. However, in the climate change network, people who engaged with science personalities trust science more than those who did not. This difference in trust levels was not present in the space science network. There the two clusters of people displayed similar levels of trust in science. Additionally, we used machine learning to predict the trust labels of tweets and conducted feature analysis to find the properties of trust-inspiring tweets. Our supervised learning algorithm was able to predict trust in science in our sample tweets with 84% accuracy. The strongest predictors of trust in science (as conveyed by tweets) were similarity, presence of URL and authenticity. Contrast this with the findings of our previous study investigating the features of highly engaging space science related social media messages, authenticity is the only feature that also inspires trust. This indicates that what works to promote engagement (e.g. `retweets', `Likes') does not necessarily build trust in science. Social media science communication is not as simple as `we engage, therefore they trust'. We suggest that

Triple Nexus: Improving STEM Teaching through a Research-Public Engagement-Teaching Nexus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, E.; McArthur, J.

2015-01-01

In this Reflection on Practice we propose a triple nexus of research, public engagement and teaching that could provide a new pathway for academic developers to enable greater engagement in learning and teaching issues from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academics. We argue that the public engagement activities demanded…

Overcoming Breakdowns and Engaging the Public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowman, T. E.

2012-12-01

With strong climate science evidence readily available, why do major segments of the public remain disengaged? Decades of social science research and practical communications experience indicate that prioritizing and structuring information, choosing appropriate messengers, and adapting to audience interests and learning styles are vital, yet often ignored criteria. This session will explore key differences between communications models within the science community and effective outreach to non-scientist audiences. Here, prioritizing goals, understanding preconceptions and identifying intervention opportunities require careful examination. "Public engagement" is defined as encouraging and enabling people to make informed choices on their own behalf. Crucial barriers identified in economics, political psychology and audience segmentation research will be addressed, and recommendations for more effective engagement will emerge including: defining realistic goals, simplifying science content accurately, avoiding values conflicts that prevent learning, enlisting trusted messengers, and matching a call to action to the scale of the challenge in ways people can embrace.

Participatory and Social Media to Engage Youth: From the Obama Campaign to Public Health Practice

PubMed Central

Goodman, Jordi; Wennerstrom, Ashley; Springgate, Benjamin F.

2013-01-01

Barack Obama’s successful campaign for the presidency has been widely attributed to the use of social networking sites, mobile devices, and interactive websites to engage previously hard-to-reach populations in political activity. Campaign communication strategies may be applicable for youth health promotion efforts, particularly for the highly stigmatized issue of mental health. In this article, we examine elements of the 2008 Obama presidential campaign’s use of social media technologies and content designed to foster effective political participation among youth. We outline how the same social media technologies may be applied to public health efforts focused on reaching and providing services to the 20% of young people who have a diagnosable mental disorder. We discuss the strengths and limitations of the application of these media to date, and raise questions about the future use of these media for engaging hard-to-reach populations in addressing stigmatized public health issues. PMID:22352086

An international survey of the public engagement practices of health technology assessment organizations.

PubMed

Whitty, Jennifer A

2013-01-01

Many jurisdictions are moving toward greater public involvement in health technology assessment (HTA) processes. This study aims to provide a broad, cross-sectional indication of the extent and methods of public engagement in HTA, with a focus on which public are engaged, by what mechanisms, and the purpose of public engagement. An international Web-based survey of 217 organizations involved in HTA was undertaken. Contact e-mail addresses for targeted organizations were identified from the Internet. Individuals from 39 (18%) of the contacted organizations completed a survey. The majority (67%) of responding HTA organizations undertake public engagement activities, predominantly involving lay representatives of organized groups (81%), and to a lesser extent individual patients/consumers (54%) or citizens/community members (54%). For organizations undertaking public engagement, mechanisms based on communication or consultation were the most common, although some organizations have used or intend to use participatory approaches, particularly the Citizens' Jury (8%) or Consensus Council (20%) methods. Respondents identified with a number of rationales and barriers for undertaking public engagement. This survey provides further insight into the public engagement approaches that are used by HTA organizations in practice. In particular, it suggests a limited adoption of participatory methods to date, and interest in the use of social media. Study findings require further confirmation, due to limitations related to survey response. There is considerable opportunity for further research into pragmatic, robust, and meaningful approaches to public engagement to strengthen HTA policy and decision-making frameworks. An agenda for future research evolving from the survey responses is proposed. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Experiences in Engaging the Public on Biotechnology Advances and Regulation

PubMed Central

Quinlan, M. Megan; Smith, Joe; Layton, Raymond; Keese, Paul; Agbagala, Ma. Lorelie U.; Palacpac, Merle B.; Ball, Louise

2016-01-01

Public input is often sought as part of the biosafety decision-making process. Information and communication about the advances in biotechnology are part of the first step to engagement. This step often relies on the developers and introducers of the particular innovation, for example, an industry-funded website has hosted various authorities to respond to questions from the public. Alternative approaches to providing information have evolved, as demonstrated in sub-Saharan Africa where non-governmental organizations and associations play this role in some countries and subregions. Often times, those in the public who choose to participate in engagement opportunities have opinions about the overall biosafety decision process. Case-by-case decisions are made within defined regulatory frameworks, however, and in general, regulatory consultation does not provide the opportunity for input to the overall decision-making process. The various objectives on both sides of engagement can make the experience challenging; there are no clear metrics for success. The situation is challenging because public input occurs within the context of the local legislative framework, regulatory requirements, and the peculiarities of the fairly recent biosafety frameworks, as well as of public opinion and individual values. Public engagement may be conducted voluntarily, or may be driven by legislation. What can be taken into account by the decision makers, and therefore what will be gathered and the timing of consultation, also may be legally defined. Several practical experiences suggest practices for effective engagement within the confines of regulatory mandates: (1) utilizing a range of resources to facilitate public education and opportunities for understanding complex technologies; (2) defining in advance the goal of seeking input; (3) identifying and communicating with the critical public groups from which input is needed; (4) using a clearly defined approach to gathering and

Experiences in Engaging the Public on Biotechnology Advances and Regulation.

PubMed

Quinlan, M Megan; Smith, Joe; Layton, Raymond; Keese, Paul; Agbagala, Ma Lorelie U; Palacpac, Merle B; Ball, Louise

2016-01-01

Public input is often sought as part of the biosafety decision-making process. Information and communication about the advances in biotechnology are part of the first step to engagement. This step often relies on the developers and introducers of the particular innovation, for example, an industry-funded website has hosted various authorities to respond to questions from the public. Alternative approaches to providing information have evolved, as demonstrated in sub-Saharan Africa where non-governmental organizations and associations play this role in some countries and subregions. Often times, those in the public who choose to participate in engagement opportunities have opinions about the overall biosafety decision process. Case-by-case decisions are made within defined regulatory frameworks, however, and in general, regulatory consultation does not provide the opportunity for input to the overall decision-making process. The various objectives on both sides of engagement can make the experience challenging; there are no clear metrics for success. The situation is challenging because public input occurs within the context of the local legislative framework, regulatory requirements, and the peculiarities of the fairly recent biosafety frameworks, as well as of public opinion and individual values. Public engagement may be conducted voluntarily, or may be driven by legislation. What can be taken into account by the decision makers, and therefore what will be gathered and the timing of consultation, also may be legally defined. Several practical experiences suggest practices for effective engagement within the confines of regulatory mandates: (1) utilizing a range of resources to facilitate public education and opportunities for understanding complex technologies; (2) defining in advance the goal of seeking input; (3) identifying and communicating with the critical public groups from which input is needed; (4) using a clearly defined approach to gathering and

The challenges and rewards of engaging a skeptical public

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Findings published in this issue suggest that a substantial subset of the Israeli public generally trusts government, yet is determined to make their own judgments about the need for precautionary action in certain types of public health emergencies. This reflective approach, which may be common in other countries as well, poses a substantial challenge to achieving desired levels of compliance, particularly when the threat requires swift and concerted action. The aim of this commentary is to discuss both the challenges and the rewards of engaging a public that wants to weigh evidence prior to taking action in an emergency, rather than defer to expert judgment. While engaging a skeptical public can be difficult, a reflective public acknowledges that preparedness is a shared responsibility of government and individuals and may be receptive to messages about the need for household and community self-sufficiency in a disaster. This is a commentary on the article “Analysis of Public Responses to Preparedness Policies” by Velan and colleagues. PMID:23537194

Effective communications strategies: engaging the media, policymakers, and the public.

PubMed

Blake, Allison; Bonk, Kathy; Heimpel, Daniel; Wright, Cathy S

2013-01-01

Too often, strategic communication is too little, or comes too late, when involved with a child fatality or serious injury. This article explores the challenges arising from negative publicity around child safety issues and the opportunities for communications strategies that employ a proactive public health approach to engaging media, policymakers, and the public. The authors provide a case study and review methods by which child welfare agencies across the nation are building public engagement and support for improved outcomes in child safety while protecting legitimate confidentiality requirements. Finally, the piece articulates the rationale for agency investments in the resources necessary to develop and implement an effective communications plan.

A Guide to Public Engagement and School Finance Litigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Julia

2008-01-01

Lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of public education funding systems are currently underway in 21 states. Litigation represents an opportunity to restructure the ways in which public education is financed, expanded, and delivered to children across the country. Public engagement plays a uniquely important role to ensure real improvement…

An Analysis of White Student Engagement at Public HBCUs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Joelle Davis; Fountaine, Tiffany Patrice

2012-01-01

The steady increase of White undergraduates attending public Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) compels educators to better understand White students' collegiate experiences at HBCUs. One lens to assess these experiences is through examining their engagement on campus. Student engagement is defined as the amount of time and…

Imaginative Engagement with Religious Diversity in Public School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kunzman, Robert

2006-01-01

Helping students learn how to engage thoughtfully with religious diversity is a vital component of democratic citizenship. This article argues for the importance of such a curriculum and considers the challenges and potential inherent in fostering "imaginative engagement" with religion in public school classrooms. It first explores conceptual…

Brookings supports breastfeeding: using public deliberation as a community-engaged approach to dissemination of research.

PubMed

Anderson, Jenn; Kuehl, Rebecca A; Mehltretter Drury, Sara A; Tschetter, Lois; Schwaegerl, Mary; Yoder, Julia; Gullickson, Heidi; Lamp, Jamison; Bachman, Charlotte; Hildreth, Marilyn

2017-12-01

Empirical evidence demonstrates myriad benefits of breastfeeding for mother and child, along with benefits to businesses that support breastfeeding. Federal and state legislation requires workplace support for pumping and provides protections for public breastfeeding. Yet, many are unaware of these laws, and thus, support systems remain underdeveloped. We used a community-based approach to spread awareness about the evidence-based benefits of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support. We worked to improve breastfeeding support at the local hospital, among local employers, and throughout the broader community. Our coalition representing the hospital, the chamber of commerce, the university, and local lactation consultants used a public deliberation model for dissemination. We held focus groups, hosted a public conversation, spoke to local organizations, and promoted these efforts through local media. The hospital achieved Baby-Friendly status and opened a Baby Café. Breastfeeding support in the community improved through policies, designated pumping spaces, and signage that supports public breastfeeding at local businesses. Community awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and breastfeeding support increased; the breastfeeding support coalition remains active. The public deliberation process for dissemination engaged the community with evidence-based promotion of breastfeeding support, increased agency, and produced sustainable results tailored to the community's unique needs.

Mental health promotion in the health care setting: collaboration and engagement in the development of a mental health promotion capacity-building initiative.

PubMed

Horn, Michelle A; Rauscher, Alana B; Ardiles, Paola A; Griffin, Shannon L

2014-01-01

Health Compass is an innovative, multiphased project that aims to transform health care practice and shift organizational culture by building the capacity of Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) health care providers to further promote the mental health and well-being of patients and families accessing PHSA's health care services. Health Compass was developed within a health promotion framework, which involved collaboration and engagement with stakeholders across all partnering PHSA agencies. This approach led to the development of an educational and training resource that contributes to increased capacity for mental health promotion within the health care setting. Based on interviews with Health Compass' internal Project Team and findings from a Stakeholder Engagement Evaluation Report, this article outlines the participatory approach taken to develop the Health Compass Mental Health Promotion Resource and E-Learning Tool. A number of key facilitators for collaboration and engagement are discussed, which may be particularly applicable to the implementation of a mental health promotion program or initiative within a complex health care setting.

Support of public-private partnerships in health promotion and conflicts of interest.

PubMed

Hernandez-Aguado, Ildefonso; Zaragoza, G A

2016-04-18

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are considered key elements in the development of effective health promotion. However, there is little research to back the enthusiasm for these partnerships. Our objective was to describe the diversity of visions on PPPs and to assess the links between the authors and corporations engaged in such ventures. We reviewed the scientific literature through PubMed in order to select all articles that expressed a position or recommendation on governments and industries engaging in PPPs for health promotion. We included any opinion paper that considered agreements between governments and corporations to develop health promotion. Papers that dealt with healthcare provision or clinical preventive services and those related to tobacco industries were excluded. We classified the articles according to the authors' position regarding PPPs: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree. We related the type of recommendation to authors' features such as institution and conflicts of interest. We also recorded whether the recommendations were based on previous assessments. Of 46 papers analysed, 21 articles (45.6%) stated that PPPs are helpful in promoting health, 1 was neutral and 24 (52.1%) were against such collaborations. 26 papers (57%) set out conditions to assure positive outcomes of the partnerships. Evidence for or against PPPs was mentioned in 11 papers that were critical or neutral (44%) but not in any of those that advocated collaboration. Where conflicts were declared (26 papers), absence of conflicts was more frequent in critics than in supporters (86% vs 17%). Although there is a lack of evidence to support PPPs for health promotion, many authors endorse this approach. The prevalence of ideas encouraging PPPs can affect the intellectual environment and influence policy decisions. Public health researchers and professionals must make a contribution in properly framing the PPP issue. Published by the BMJ Publishing

Public preferences for engagement in Health Technology Assessment decision-making: protocol of a mixed methods study.

PubMed

Wortley, Sally; Tong, Allison; Lancsar, Emily; Salkeld, Glenn; Howard, Kirsten

2015-07-14

Much attention in recent years has been given to the topic of public engagement in health technology assessment (HTA) decision-making. HTA organizations spend substantial resources and time on undertaking public engagement, and numerous studies have examined challenges and barriers to engagement in the decision-making process however uncertainty remains as to optimal methods to incorporate the views of the public in HTA decision-making. Little research has been done to ascertain whether current engagement processes align with public preferences and to what extent their desire for engagement is dependent on the question being asked by decision-makers or the characteristics of the decision. This study will examine public preferences for engagement in Australian HTA decision-making using an exploratory mixed methods design. The aims of this study are to: 1) identify characteristics about HTA decisions that are important to the public in determining whether public engagement should be undertaken on a particular topic, 2) determine which decision characteristics influence public preferences for the extent, or type of public engagement, and 3) describe reasons underpinning these preferences. Focus group participants from the general community, aged 18-70 years, will be purposively sampled from the Australian population to ensure a wide range of demographic groups. Each focus group will include a general discussion on public engagement as well as a ranking exercise using a modified nominal group technique (NGT). The NGT will inform the design of a discrete choice study to quantitatively assess public preferences for engagement in HTA decision-making. The proposed research seeks to investigate under what circumstances and how the public would like their views and preferences to be considered in health technology assessments. HTA organizations regularly make decisions about when and how public engagement should occur but without consideration of the public's preferences on

Engaging the Senses, Understanding Publics: Research Methods, Science Engagement, and Synthetic Biology.

PubMed

Meckin, Robert; Balmer, Andrew

2017-11-01

Scientists and government actors often fear a 'public rejection' of biotechnology, especially regarding genetic modification. Through a research project aimed at engaging people's senses, we support an alternative way for scientists to consider non-scientists in their research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Manager Perspectives on Communication and Public Engagement in Ecological Restoration Project Success

EPA Science Inventory

We argue that public engagement is crucial to achieving lasting ecological success in aquatic restoration efforts, and that the most effective public engagement mechanisms are what we term iterative mechanisms. Here we look to a particular social-ecological system – the restorati...

Queer as F**k: reaching and engaging gay men in sexual health promotion through social networking sites.

PubMed

Pedrana, Alisa; Hellard, Margaret; Gold, Judy; Ata, Nadine; Chang, Shanton; Howard, Steve; Asselin, Jason; Ilic, Olivia; Batrouney, Colin; Stoove, Mark

2013-02-07

A growing number of health promotion interventions are taking advantage of the popularity and interactivity of new social media platforms to foster and engage communities for health promotion. However, few health promotion interventions using social networking sites (SNS) have been rigorously evaluated. "Queer as F**k"(QAF) began as pilot project in 2010 to deliver sexual health promotion via short "webisodes" on SNS to gay men. Now in its fifth season, QAF is among the few published examples internationally to demonstrate the sexual health promotion potential of SNS. The objective of this evaluation is to assess reach, interactivity, and engagement generated by QAF to inform future health interventions and evaluations using SNS. We undertook a mixed method process evaluation using an uncontrolled longitudinal study design that compared multiple measurements over time to assess changes in reach and engagement. We adapted evaluation methods from the health promotion, information systems, and creative spheres. We incorporated online usage statistics, interviews informed by user diary-scrapbooks, and user focus groups to assess intervention reach and engagement. During Series 1-3 (April 2010 to April 2011), 32 webisodes were posted on the QAF Facebook and YouTube pages. These webisodes attracted over 30,000 views; ranging from 124-3092 views per individual episode. By April 2011, the QAF Facebook page had 2929 predominantly male fans. Interview and focus group participants supported the balance of education and entertainment. They endorsed the narrative "soap opera" format as an effective way to deliver sexual health messages in an engaging, informative, and accessible manner that encouraged online peer discussion of sexual health and promoted community engagement. QAF offers a successful example of exploiting the reach, interactivity, and engagement potential of SNS; findings from this process evaluation provide a model to inform the delivery and evaluation of future

Queer as F**k: Reaching and Engaging Gay Men in Sexual Health Promotion through Social Networking Sites

PubMed Central

Hellard, Margaret; Gold, Judy; Ata, Nadine; Chang, Shanton; Howard, Steve; Asselin, Jason; Ilic, Olivia; Batrouney, Colin; Stoove, Mark

2013-01-01

Background A growing number of health promotion interventions are taking advantage of the popularity and interactivity of new social media platforms to foster and engage communities for health promotion. However, few health promotion interventions using social networking sites (SNS) have been rigorously evaluated. "Queer as F**k"(QAF) began as pilot project in 2010 to deliver sexual health promotion via short "webisodes" on SNS to gay men. Now in its fifth season, QAF is among the few published examples internationally to demonstrate the sexual health promotion potential of SNS. Objective The objective of this evaluation is to assess reach, interactivity, and engagement generated by QAF to inform future health interventions and evaluations using SNS. Methods We undertook a mixed method process evaluation using an uncontrolled longitudinal study design that compared multiple measurements over time to assess changes in reach and engagement. We adapted evaluation methods from the health promotion, information systems, and creative spheres. We incorporated online usage statistics, interviews informed by user diary-scrapbooks, and user focus groups to assess intervention reach and engagement. Results During Series 1-3 (April 2010 to April 2011), 32 webisodes were posted on the QAF Facebook and YouTube pages. These webisodes attracted over 30,000 views; ranging from 124-3092 views per individual episode. By April 2011, the QAF Facebook page had 2929 predominantly male fans. Interview and focus group participants supported the balance of education and entertainment. They endorsed the narrative "soap opera" format as an effective way to deliver sexual health messages in an engaging, informative, and accessible manner that encouraged online peer discussion of sexual health and promoted community engagement. Conclusions QAF offers a successful example of exploiting the reach, interactivity, and engagement potential of SNS; findings from this process evaluation provide a

Playing with Science: Using Interactive Games to Improve Public Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unger, M.; Besser, N.

2015-12-01

The challenge of communicating science in an accurate, concise, and engaging way has never been more important. While much focus has been put on how scientific information gets delivered, perhaps less value has been put on what the public can communicate back to science. Imparting scientific knowledge to the public in one direction, however successfully done, could be called "transmission." It's not until the public responds that you have "communication," or maybe a better word would be "conversation." The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has been working on a project for use in its educational visitor center that not only attempts to engage the public with concise, accurate scientific information, but also to help the public respond, in order to create a communicative circuit. Using an interactive game platform, visitors can immerse themselves in a voyage of scientific discovery by choosing a character and building a story line based on multiple selections, a version of a "build your own adventure" experience. We are exploring ways to capture data from these interactions in order to inform additional program development based on areas of greatest interest to the public. The game could thus be used to update existing exhibits so they better reflect those areas of interest, making them more relevant and engaging to visitors, and expanding opportunities for dialogue between science centers and members of the public.

The Benefits of Youth Engagement in HIV-Preventive Structural Change Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Sarah J.; Miller, Robin Lin

2014-01-01

Youth are infrequently included in planning the health promotion projects designed to benefit them as many of the factors infringing upon youth's health and well-being also limit their engagement in community-based public health promotion projects. This article explores youth engagement in 13 coalitions implementing structural changes meant…

Engaging Scientists in NASA Education and Public Outreach: Tools for Scientist Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Meinke, B. K.; Hsu, B.; Shupla, C.; Grier, J. A.; E/PO Community, SMD

2014-01-01

The NASA Science Education and Public Outreach Forums support the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and its education and public outreach (E/PO) community through a coordinated effort to enhance the coherence and efficiency of SMD-funded E/PO programs. The Forums foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. We present tools and resources to support astronomers’ engagement in E/PO efforts. Among the tools designed specifically for scientists are a series of one-page E/PO-engagement Tips and Tricks guides, a sampler of electromagnetic-spectrum-related activities, and NASA SMD Scientist Speaker’s Bureau (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/speaker). Scientists can also locate resources for interacting with diverse audiences through a number of online clearinghouses, including: NASA Wavelength, a digital collection of peer-reviewed Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels (http://nasawavelength.org), and EarthSpace (http://www.lpi.usra.edu/earthspace), a community website where faculty can find and share teaching resources for the undergraduate Earth and space sciences classroom. Learn more about the opportunities to become involved in E/PO and to share your science with students, educators, and the general public at http://smdepo.org.

Engaging Upstanders: Class-Wide Approach to Promoting Positive Bystander Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Laura; Smith, Jennifer; Varjas, Kris; Meyers, Joel

2016-01-01

Positive and supportive bystander behaviors have been associated with decreases in the frequency and negative impact of bullying. This article addresses the design, implementation, evaluation, and continuation of a classroom-based intervention that promotes positive bystander behaviors. The Engaging Upstanders curriculum was piloted with two…

Impact of non-clinical community-based promotional campaigns on bowel cancer screening engagement: An integrative literature review.

PubMed

Martini, Angelita; Morris, Julia N; Preen, David

2016-10-01

This paper reviewed the relationship between non-clinical, client-oriented promotional campaigns to raise bowel cancer awareness and screening engagement. An integrative literature review using predefined search terms was conducted to summarise the accumulated knowledge. Data was analysed by coding and categorising, then synthesized through development of themes. Eighteen of 116 studies met inclusion criteria. Promotional campaigns had varying impact on screening uptake for bowel cancer. Mass media was found to moderately increase screening, predominately amongst "worried well". Small media used in conjunction with other promotional activities, thus its effect on screening behaviours was unclear. One-on-one education was less effective and less feasible than group education in increasing intention to screen. Financial support was ineffective in increasing screening rates when compared to other promotional activities. Screening engagement increased because of special events and celebrity endorsement. Non-clinical promotional campaigns did impact uptake of bowel cancer screening engagement. However, little is evident on the effect of single types of promotion and most research is based on clinician-directed campaigns. Cancer awareness and screening promotions should be implemented at community and clinical level to maximize effectiveness. Such an approach will ensure promotional activities are targeting consumers, thus strengthening screening engagement. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Coffee Shops, Classrooms and Conversations: public engagement and outreach in a large interdisciplinary research Hub

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holden, Jennifer A.

2014-05-01

Public engagement and outreach activities are increasingly using specialist staff for co-ordination, training and support for researchers, they are also becoming expected for large investments. Here, the experience of public engagement and outreach a large, interdisciplinary Research Hub is described. dot.rural, based at the University of Aberdeen UK, is a £11.8 million Research Councils UK Rural Digital Economy Hub, funded as part of the RCUK Digital Economy Theme (2009-2015). Digital Economy research aims to realise the transformational impact of digital technologies on aspects of the environment, community life, cultural experiences, future society, and the economy. The dot.rural Hub involves 92 researchers from 12 different disciplines, including Geography, Hydrology and Ecology. Public Engagement and Outreach is embedded in the dot.rural Digital Economy Hub via an Outreach Officer. Alongside this position, public engagement and outreach activities are compulsory part of PhD student contracts. Public Engagement and Outreach activities at the dot.rural Hub involve individuals and groups in both formal and informal settings organised by dot.rural and other organisations. Activities in the realms of Education, Public Engagement, Traditional and Social Media are determined by a set of Underlying Principles designed for the Hub by the Outreach Officer. The underlying Engagement and Outreach principles match funding agency requirements and expectations alongside researcher demands and the user-led nature of Digital Economy Research. All activities include researchers alongside the Outreach Officer are research informed and embedded into specific projects that form the Hub. Successful public engagement activities have included participation in Café Scientifique series, workshops in primary and secondary schools, and online activities such as I'm a Scientist Get Me Out of Here. From how to engage 8 year olds with making hydrographs more understandable to members of

Communicating the Science of Nasa's Maven Mission through Public Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mason, T.; Peticolas, L. M.; Wood, E. L.

2014-12-01

As education, public outreach, and communications professionals, we see the direct benefits of online outreach and other public engagement strategies in communicating complex scientific concepts. While public understanding of science and scientific literacy rates has stagnated at best, online engagement has never been more active. About 40% of Americans receive information about science and technology primarily from online sources; however, the ability to pursue enhanced learning opportunities is directly correlated with higher education and income. The MAVEN E/PO team has recognized an opportunity to bring the science of the mission to a growing, online community of engaged learners and potential supporters of future scientific research and data. We have taken a wide variety of approaches to educate the public—particularly non-traditional audiences—about a mission that is not as "sexy" as many other NASA missions, but is critical to understanding the evolution of Mars over time as part of an ongoing, long-term effort by NASA's Mars Exploration Program. We will highlight some of the tools—including online platforms—that we have used to share the science of MAVEN and will present preliminary evaluation results from our education and public outreach projects.

Training the Peer Facilitator: Using Participatory Theatre to Promote Engagement in Peer Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orr, Sarah Hunter

2015-01-01

"Training the peer facilitator: using participatory theatre to promote engagement in peer education" examines the role of participatory theatre in a peer education setting in relation to the goal of young people engaging and empowering their peers to create new knowledge together. Extending research about the use of applied theatre…

An assessment of policymakers’ engagement initiatives to promote evidence informed health policy making in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Uneke, Chigozie Jesse; Sombie, Issiaka; Keita, Namoudou; Lokossou, Virgil; Johnson, Ermel; Ongolo-Zogo, Pierre

2017-01-01

In most developing countries including Nigeria, one of the most challenging issues associated with evidence-to-policy link is the capacity constraints of policymakers to access, synthesize, adapt and utilize available research evidence. The purpose of this review is to assess the efforts and various initiatives that have been undertaken to deliberately engage policymakers and other stakeholders in the health sector in Nigeria for the promotion of evidence informed policymaking. A MEDLINE Entrez Pubmed search was performed and studies that investigated policy making process, evidence to policy link, research to policy mechanism, and researchers/policymakers interaction in Nigeria in relation to health policy were sought. Of the 132 publications found, 14(10.6%) fulfilled the study inclusion criteria and were selected and included in the review. Of the fourteen scientific publications identified, 11 of the studies targeted both researchers and policymakers and the principal tool of intervention was training workshops which focused on various aspects of evidence informed policymaking. All the studies indicated positive outcomes and impacts in relation to quantifiable improvement in policymakers' knowledge and competence in evidence to policy process. Capacity strengthening engagement mechanism is needed for both researchers to generate better evidence and for policymakers and health-care professionals to better use available evidence. PMID:28819479

An assessment of policymakers' engagement initiatives to promote evidence informed health policy making in Nigeria.

PubMed

Uneke, Chigozie Jesse; Sombie, Issiaka; Keita, Namoudou; Lokossou, Virgil; Johnson, Ermel; Ongolo-Zogo, Pierre

2017-01-01

In most developing countries including Nigeria, one of the most challenging issues associated with evidence-to-policy link is the capacity constraints of policymakers to access, synthesize, adapt and utilize available research evidence. The purpose of this review is to assess the efforts and various initiatives that have been undertaken to deliberately engage policymakers and other stakeholders in the health sector in Nigeria for the promotion of evidence informed policymaking. A MEDLINE Entrez Pubmed search was performed and studies that investigated policy making process, evidence to policy link, research to policy mechanism, and researchers/policymakers interaction in Nigeria in relation to health policy were sought. Of the 132 publications found, 14(10.6%) fulfilled the study inclusion criteria and were selected and included in the review. Of the fourteen scientific publications identified, 11 of the studies targeted both researchers and policymakers and the principal tool of intervention was training workshops which focused on various aspects of evidence informed policymaking. All the studies indicated positive outcomes and impacts in relation to quantifiable improvement in policymakers' knowledge and competence in evidence to policy process. Capacity strengthening engagement mechanism is needed for both researchers to generate better evidence and for policymakers and health-care professionals to better use available evidence.

Viewpoint: The Challenge of Creating Engaged Public Research Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cherwitz, Rick

2010-01-01

The quest to create engaged public research universities requires academe to confront a stark reality: inflexible administrative structures, historically embedded practices, status-quo thinking, and inertia. Until these obstacles are overcome, the retreat from public life will not be arrested. In this article, the author provides a sample of the…

Using Virtual and In-Person Engagement Opportunities to Connect K-12 Students, Teachers, and the Public With NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Assets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, P.; Foxworth, S.; Luckey, M. K.; McInturff, B.; Mosie, A.; Runco, S.; Todd, N.; Willis, K. J.; Zeigler, R.

2017-01-01

Engaging K-12 students, teachers, and the public with NASA Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) assets provides an extraordinary opportunity to connect audiences with authentic aspects unique to our nation's space program. NASA ARES has effectively engaged audiences with 1) Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experts, 2) NASA specialized facilities, and 3) NASA astromaterial samples through both virtual and in-person engagement opportunities. These engagement opportunities help connect local and national audiences with STEM role models, promote the exciting work being facilitated through NASA's Science Mission Directorate, and expose our next generation of scientific explorers to science they may be inspired to pursue as a future STEM career.

Public Engagement in Planetary Science through Europlanet Social Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heenatigala, T.

2017-09-01

From 'Save the Hubble' campaign to ESA's Rosetta mission, social media has played a major role in public engagement and continues to grow. However, with this growing number of social media platforms and the amount of content that goes public daily, the 'noise' level is high - making it difficult to reach a good, relevant audience. Hence, it's important to use different strategies with the content created, from launching a video to live session to issue a press release. Under the Horizon 2020, the Europlanet Media Centre[1] identifies the importance of using social media for outreach. Europlanet uses primary and secondary social media platforms strategically to engage with the followers and a new audience.

Measuring Audience Engagement for Public Health Twitter Chats: Insights From #LiveFitNOLA.

PubMed

Rabarison, Kristina M; Croston, Merriah A; Englar, Naomi K; Bish, Connie L; Flynn, Shelbi M; Johnson, Carolyn C

2017-06-08

Little empirical evidence exists on the effectiveness of using Twitter as a two-way communication tool for public health practice, such as Twitter chats. We analyzed whether Twitter chats facilitate engagement in two-way communications between public health entities and their audience. We also describe how to measure two-way communications, incoming and outgoing mentions, between users in a protocol using free and publicly available tools (Symplur, OpenRefine, and Gephi). We used a mixed-methods approach, social network analysis, and content analysis. The study population comprised individuals and organizations participating or who were mentioned in the first #LiveFitNOLA chat, during a 75-min period on March 5, 2015, from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM Central Time. We assessed audience engagement in two-way communications with two metrics: engagement ratio and return on engagement (ROE). The #LiveFitNOLA chat had 744 tweets and 66 participants with an average of 11 tweets per participant. The resulting network had 134 network members and 474 engagements. The engagement ratios and ROEs for the #LiveFitNOLA organizers were 1:1, 40% (13/32) (@TulanePRC) and 2:1, -40% (-25/63) (@FitNOLA). Content analysis showed information sharing (63.9%, 314/491) and health information (27.9%, 137/491) as the most salient theme and sub-theme, respectively. Our findings suggest Twitter chats facilitate audience engagement in two-way communications between public health entities and their audience. The #LiveFitNOLA organizers' engagement ratios and ROEs indicated a moderate level of engagement with their audience. The practical significance of the engagement ratio and ROE depends on the audience, context, scope, scale, and goal of a Twitter chat or other organized hashtag-based communications on Twitter. ©Kristina M Rabarison, Merriah A Croston, Naomi K Englar, Connie L Bish, Shelbi M Flynn, Carolyn C Johnson. Originally published in JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (http

Community views and perspectives on public engagement in health technology assessment decision making.

PubMed

Wortley, Sally; Tong, Allison; Howard, Kirsten

2017-03-01

Objectives The aim of the present study was to describe community views and perspectives on public engagement processes in Australian health technology assessment (HTA) decision making. Methods Six focus groups were held in Sydney (NSW, Australia) as part of a broad program of work on public engagement and HTA. Eligible participants were aged ≥18 years and spoke English. Participants were asked about their views and perspectives of public engagement in the HTA decision-making process, with responses analysed using a public participation framework. Results Fifty-eight participants aged 19-71 years attended the focus groups. Responses from the public indicated that they wanted public engagement in HTA to include a diversity of individuals, be independent and transparent, involve individuals early in the process and ensure that public input is meaningful and useful to the process. This was consistent with the public participation framework. Perceived shortcomings of the current public engagement process were also identified, namely the lack of awareness of the HTA system in the general population and the need to acknowledge the role different groups of stakeholders or 'publics' can have in the process. Conclusions The public do see a role for themselves in the HTA decision-making process. This is distinct to the involvement of patients and carers. It is important that any future public engagement strategy in this field distinguishes between stakeholder groups and outline approaches that will involve members of the public in the decision-making process, especially if public expectations of involvement in healthcare decision-making continue to increase. What is known about this topic? The views and perspectives of patients and consumers are important in the HTA decision-making process. There is a move to involve the broader community, particularly as decisions become increasingly complex and resources more scarce. What does this paper add? It not been known to what

Measuring Audience Engagement for Public Health Twitter Chats: Insights From #LiveFitNOLA

PubMed Central

Croston, Merriah A

2017-01-01

Background Little empirical evidence exists on the effectiveness of using Twitter as a two-way communication tool for public health practice, such as Twitter chats. Objective We analyzed whether Twitter chats facilitate engagement in two-way communications between public health entities and their audience. We also describe how to measure two-way communications, incoming and outgoing mentions, between users in a protocol using free and publicly available tools (Symplur, OpenRefine, and Gephi). Methods We used a mixed-methods approach, social network analysis, and content analysis. The study population comprised individuals and organizations participating or who were mentioned in the first #LiveFitNOLA chat, during a 75-min period on March 5, 2015, from 12:00 PM to 1:15 PM Central Time. We assessed audience engagement in two-way communications with two metrics: engagement ratio and return on engagement (ROE). Results The #LiveFitNOLA chat had 744 tweets and 66 participants with an average of 11 tweets per participant. The resulting network had 134 network members and 474 engagements. The engagement ratios and ROEs for the #LiveFitNOLA organizers were 1:1, 40% (13/32) (@TulanePRC) and 2:1, −40% (−25/63) (@FitNOLA). Content analysis showed information sharing (63.9%, 314/491) and health information (27.9%, 137/491) as the most salient theme and sub-theme, respectively. Conclusions Our findings suggest Twitter chats facilitate audience engagement in two-way communications between public health entities and their audience. The #LiveFitNOLA organizers’ engagement ratios and ROEs indicated a moderate level of engagement with their audience. The practical significance of the engagement ratio and ROE depends on the audience, context, scope, scale, and goal of a Twitter chat or other organized hashtag-based communications on Twitter. PMID:28596149

Attainable and Relevant Moral Exemplars Are More Effective than Extraordinary Exemplars in Promoting Voluntary Service Engagement.

PubMed

Han, Hyemin; Kim, Jeongmin; Jeong, Changwoo; Cohen, Geoffrey L

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to develop effective moral educational interventions based on social psychology by using stories of moral exemplars. We tested whether motivation to engage in voluntary service as a form of moral behavior was better promoted by attainable and relevant exemplars or by unattainable and irrelevant exemplars. First, experiment 1, conducted in a lab, showed that stories of attainable exemplars more effectively promoted voluntary service activity engagement among undergraduate students compared with stories of unattainable exemplars and non-moral stories. Second, experiment 2, a middle school classroom-level experiment with a quasi-experimental design, demonstrated that peer exemplars, who are perceived to be attainable and relevant to students, better promoted service engagement compared with historic figures in moral education classes.

Attainable and Relevant Moral Exemplars Are More Effective than Extraordinary Exemplars in Promoting Voluntary Service Engagement

PubMed Central

Han, Hyemin; Kim, Jeongmin; Jeong, Changwoo; Cohen, Geoffrey L.

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to develop effective moral educational interventions based on social psychology by using stories of moral exemplars. We tested whether motivation to engage in voluntary service as a form of moral behavior was better promoted by attainable and relevant exemplars or by unattainable and irrelevant exemplars. First, experiment 1, conducted in a lab, showed that stories of attainable exemplars more effectively promoted voluntary service activity engagement among undergraduate students compared with stories of unattainable exemplars and non-moral stories. Second, experiment 2, a middle school classroom-level experiment with a quasi-experimental design, demonstrated that peer exemplars, who are perceived to be attainable and relevant to students, better promoted service engagement compared with historic figures in moral education classes. PMID:28326045

Public Intellectuals vs. New Public Management: The Defeat of Public Engagement in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watermeyer, Richard

2016-01-01

Much is written apropos a rationalization for public engagement in science and technology (PEST). Less copious is a literature that considers PEST in a broader form and operationalized in the specific environment of higher education and the impact of its undertaking on the working lives of academics. This paper considers the status of public…

Engaging Public Space: Art Education Pedagogies for Social Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncum, Paul

2011-01-01

Considering social justice to be founded on human rights, which, in turn, are grounded in freedom of thought, expression, and assembly, this essay reviews efforts by art educators to engage with public space as a form of social justice pedagogy. Public space, whether actual or virtual, is understood to be inherently devoted to contestation in the…

Face Time: Meaningful Public Engagement Through Interactive, In-Person Outreach Efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartel, B. A.; Agopian, M.

2017-12-01

Science festivals, classrooms, community groups, and farmers markets provide rich opportunities for scientists to interact with the non-expert public. These venues offer scientists not only the opportunity to explain their science to the public, but to actually converse about the science, to put a human face with the scientific enterprise, and to learn about the values and knowledge levels of people within our communities. This interaction allows us to connect with a curious and sometimes skeptical public, correct misinformation, inspire the next generation (and the next generation's parents), and speak directly with voters about the relevance of science to our daily lives. While other channels of communication may reach a broader audience, these in-person, often one-on-one interactions make for meaningful, memorable, and potentially impactful experiences for scientists and non-experts alike. Skills used to engage the public in these planned events are the same skills we need to engage in any productive conversation. Communications training addressing effective conversations with non-experts can help scientists communicate more effectively not only by helping us hone our messaging, but also by recognizing our assumptions, biases, and our tendency to explain more than listen, even when our will is good. We have provided communications training based on the NSF-funded Portal to the Public (PoP) framework to students, post-docs, and educators. Feedback indicates these communications workshops improve participants' teaching abilities, confidence in engaging with the public, and even ability to articulate research to fellow scientists. In this presentation, we will share best practices for engaging non-experts based on PoP, as well as drawing from our experience in outreach at events, in classrooms, and in museums.

Validating a Scale That Measures Scientists' Self-Efficacy for Public Engagement with Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson Evia, Jane; Peterman, Karen; Cloyd, Emily; Besley, John

2018-01-01

Self-efficacy, or the beliefs people hold about their ability to succeed in certain pursuits, is a long-established construct. Self-efficacy for science communication distinguishes scientists who engage with the public and relates to scientists' attitudes about the public. As such, self-efficacy for public engagement has the potential to serve as…

Intervention-engagement and its role in the effectiveness of stage-matched interventions promoting physical exercise.

PubMed

Richert, Jana; Lippke, Sonia; Ziegelmann, Jochen P

2011-01-01

Intervention-engagement has received little attention in sports medicine as well as research and promotion of physical exercise. The construct is important, however, in the understanding of why interventions work. This study aimed at shedding more light on the interplay of engagement and the subsequent effectiveness of physical exercise interventions. A three-stage model differentiating among nonintenders, intenders, and actors informed the intervention design in this study. In an Internet-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two measurement points, N = 326 participants received a stage-matched, stage-mismatched, or control treatment. Assessed variables were goal setting, planning, behavior, and intervention-engagement. It was found that regarding goal setting, nonintenders in the stage-matched intervention and those who engaged highly in the stage-matched intervention improved significantly over time. Regarding planning, intenders in the matched condition as well as all actors increased their levels over time. Regarding behavior, nonintenders and intenders having engaged highly in the intervention improved more than those having engaged little. In order to help nonintenders progress on their way toward goal behavior, it is necessary that they engage highly in a stage-matched intervention. Implications for exercise promotion are that interventions should also aim at increasing participants' intervention-engagement.

Companies and Climate Risk: Opportunities to Engage the Business Community in Promoting Climate-conscious Policies (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldman, G. T.; Rogerson, P.

2013-12-01

Regardless of their policy orientation, the business community has an interest in how climate change impacts will affect their operations and ultimately change their bottom line. The reality that climate change presents material and financial risks to many companies in diverse sectors of the economy presents an opportunity to engage companies on climate-related issues. Company investors are exposed to such financial risks and can pressure public companies to change behavior through shareholder resolutions, voting, and election of new board members. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) obligates all publicly traded companies to discuss risks that might materially affect their business in their annual Form 10-K filings. In 2010, the guidance for the Form 10-K specifically suggested that companies consider and discuss any significant risks to their business from climate change--both from its physical effects and from impacts of climate regulations. Form 10-Ks for 28 US companies were analyzed for the years 2009 and 2010. Results indicate that some companies comprehensively considered climate-related risks. However, in spite of the SEC guidance, some fail to mention climate change at all. Additionally, many companies discuss only the impacts that regulation would have on their business--not the physical effects of climate change itself. The lack of consideration of climate-related risks in companies' risk assessments demonstrates a need for a more uniform understanding of SEC requirements and additionally, this state of affairs presents an opportunity to push companies to more deeply consider climate change impacts. Several avenues are available for engaging with companies themselves, their shareholders, the SEC, and the public. We will explore what strategies have been effective for engaging such actors and what further opportunities exist for working with the business community to promote more climate-conscious policies and practices.

International perspectives on engaging the public in neuroethics

PubMed Central

Illes, Judy; Blakemore, Colin; Hansson, Mats G.; Hensch, Takao K.; Leshner, Alan; Maestre, Gladys; Magistretti, Pierre; Quirion, Rémi; Strata, Piergiorgio

2006-01-01

With an ever-increasing understanding of the brain mechanisms associated with core human attributes and values, there is an increasing public interest in the results of neuroscience research and the ways in which that new knowledge will be used. Here, we present perspectives on engaging the public on these issues on an international scale, the role of the media, and prospects for the new field of neuroethics as both a focus and a driver of these efforts. PMID:16340957

Effectively engaging stakeholders and the public in developing violence prevention messages.

PubMed

Boyko, Jennifer A; Wathen, C Nadine; Kothari, Anita

2017-05-11

Preventing family violence requires that stakeholders and the broader public be involved in developing evidence-based violence prevention strategies. However, gaps exist in between what we know (knowledge), what we do (action), and the structures supporting practice (policy). We discuss the broad challenge of mobilizing knowledge-for-action in family violence, with a primary focus on the issue of how stakeholders and the public can be effectively engaged when developing and communicating evidence-based violence prevention messages. We suggest that a comprehensive approach to stakeholder and public engagement in developing violence prevention messages includes: 1) clear and consistent messaging; 2) identifying and using, as appropriate, lessons from campaigns that show evidence of reducing specific types of violence; and 3) evidence-informed approaches for communicating to specific groups. Components of a comprehensive approach must take into account the available research evidence, implementation feasibility, and the context-specific nature of family violence. While strategies exist for engaging stakeholders and the public in messaging about family violence prevention, knowledge mobilization must be informed by evidence, dialogue with stakeholders, and proactive media strategies. This paper will be of interest to public health practitioners or others involved in planning and implementing violence prevention programs because it highlights what is known about the issue, potential solutions, and implementation considerations.

Techniques for Engaging the Public in Planetary Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shupla, Christine; Shaner, Andrew; Smith Hackler, Amanda

2017-10-01

Public audiences are often curious about planetary science. Scientists and education and public engagement specialists can leverage this interest to build scientific literacy. This poster will highlight research-based techniques the authors have tested with a variety of audiences, and are disseminating to planetary scientists through trainings.Techniques include:Make it personal. Audiences are interested in personal stories, which can capture the excitement, joy, and challenges that planetary scientists experience in their research. Audiences can learn more about the nature of science by meeting planetary scientists and hearing personal stories about their motivations, interests, and how they conduct research.Share relevant connections. Most audiences have very limited understanding of the solar system and the features and compositions of planetary bodies, but they enjoy learning about those objects they can see at night and factors that connect to their culture or local community.Demonstrate concepts. Some concepts can be clarified with analogies, but others can be demonstrated or modeled with materials. Demonstrations that are messy, loud, or that yield surprising results are particularly good at capturing an audience’s attention, but if they don’t directly relate to the key concept, they can serve as a distraction.Give them a role. Audience participation is an important engagement technique. In a presentation, scientists can invite the audience to respond to questions, pause to share their thoughts with a neighbor, or vote on an answer. Audiences can respond physically to prompts, raising hands, pointing, or clapping, or even moving to different locations in the room.Enable the audience to conduct an activity. People learn best by doing and by teaching others; simple hands-on activities in which the audience is discovering something themselves can be extremely effective at engaging audiences.This poster will cite examples of each technique, resources that

Whose Job Is It, Anyway? The Place of Public Engagement in The Liberal Arts College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christie, Luke D.; Djupe, Paul A.; O'Rourke, Sean Patrick; Smith, Elizabeth S.

2017-01-01

The calls for academics to engage the public have grown, motivated by concerns for civic health and for maintaining public and political support for higher education and academic research. Whatever its value to the public sphere, there is still considerable uncertainty about whether and how public engagement counts--is it valued by colleagues and…

Science Center Public Forums: Engaging Lay-Publics in Resilience Deliberations Through Informal Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sittenfeld, D.; Choi, F.; Farooque, M.; Helmuth, B.

2017-12-01

Because climate hazards present a range of potential impacts and considerations for different kinds of stakeholders, community responses to increase resilience are best considered through the inclusion of diverse, informed perspectives. The Science Center Public Forums project has created multifaceted modules to engage diverse publics in substantive deliberations around four hazards: heat waves, drought, extreme precipitation, and sea level rise. Using a suite of background materials including visualization and narrative components, each of these daylong dialogues engage varied groups of lay-participants at eight US science centers in learning about hazard vulnerabilities and tradeoffs of proposed strategies for building resilience. Participants listen to and consider the priorities and perspectives of fellow residents and stakeholders, and work together to formulate detailed resilience plans reflecting both current science and informed public values. Deliverables for the project include visualizations of hazard vulnerabilities and strategies through immersive planetarium graphics and Google Earth, stakeholder perspective narratives, and detailed background materials for each project hazard. This session will: communicate the process for developing the hazard modules with input from subject matter experts, outline the process for iterative revisions based upon findings from formative focus groups, share results generated by participants of the project's first two pilot forums, and describe plans for broader implementation. These activities and outcomes could help to increase the capacity of informal science education institutions as trusted conveners for informed community dialogue by educating residents about vulnerabilities and engaging them in critical thinking about potential policy responses to critical climate hazards while sharing usable public values and priorities with civic planners.

Social diversity promotes the emergence of cooperation in public goods games.

PubMed

Santos, Francisco C; Santos, Marta D; Pacheco, Jorge M

2008-07-10

Humans often cooperate in public goods games and situations ranging from family issues to global warming. However, evolutionary game theory predicts that the temptation to forgo the public good mostly wins over collective cooperative action, and this is often also seen in economic experiments. Here we show how social diversity provides an escape from this apparent paradox. Up to now, individuals have been treated as equivalent in all respects, in sharp contrast with real-life situations, where diversity is ubiquitous. We introduce social diversity by means of heterogeneous graphs and show that cooperation is promoted by the diversity associated with the number and size of the public goods game in which each individual participates and with the individual contribution to each such game. When social ties follow a scale-free distribution, cooperation is enhanced whenever all individuals are expected to contribute a fixed amount irrespective of the plethora of public goods games in which they engage. Our results may help to explain the emergence of cooperation in the absence of mechanisms based on individual reputation and punishment. Combining social diversity with reputation and punishment will provide instrumental clues on the self-organization of social communities and their economical implications.

How older citizens engage in their health promotion: a qualitative research-driven taxonomy of experiences and meanings

PubMed Central

Menichetti, Julia; Graffigna, Guendalina

2016-01-01

Objectives In this qualitative study, we provide an in-depth exploration of older people's experiences and subjective meanings concerning their engagement in health promotion as well as the emotional and pragmatic difficulties they face during their engagement. Methods The study was designed according to the ethnoscience method, which implies a participatory process that values patients' linguistic expressions to deeply understand the phenomena under the investigation and to give it a meaning. Using this method, thanks to repeated rounds of interviews and the Q-sorting task, participants created a dictionary, with the assistance of the researcher, to describe the phenomenon of interest. They agreed on a shared taxonomy of meanings and experiences related to the phenomenon. 25 North Italian older citizens participated in this study. Results Participants described a shared taxonomy of health engagement experiences by depicting 3 main positions (ie, locked position; awakening position; climbing position), which represented different experiential domains grouped by participants into 4 main semantic areas (eg, physical care, soul care, daily lifestyle, contact with ageing). Each position is characterised by specific emotions, personal representations of meaning and healthy behaviours that may sustain or hinder older citizens' engagement in health promotion. Conclusions The results of the present study suggest the importance of deeply understanding older peoples' experiences and their subjective meanings of health promotion. In particular, the results showed how their engagement in health promotion is framed in a complex system of psychological meanings, which may sustain or hinder their ability to adopt healthy behaviours. A deeper understanding of older citizens' lived experiences, their doubts and their difficulties in engaging in health promotion may offer some important cues for orienting interventions in this area. PMID:27417196

Impacts of Chandra X-ray Observatory Public Communications and Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arcand, Kimberly K.; Watzke, Megan; Lestition, Kathleen; Edmonds, Peter

2015-01-01

The Chandra X-ray Observatory Center runs a multifaceted Public Communications & Engagement program encompassing press relations, public engagement, and education. Our goals include reaching a large and diverse audience of national and international scope, establishing direct connections and working relationships with the scientists whose research forms the basis for all products, creating peer-reviewed materials and activities that evolve from an integrated pipeline design and encourage users toward deeper engagement, and developing materials that target underserved audiences such as women, Spanish speakers, and the sight and hearing impaired. This talk will highlight some of the key features of our program, from the high quality curated digital presence to the cycle of research and evaluation that informs our practice at all points of the program creation. We will also discuss the main impacts of the program, from the tens of millions of participants reached through the establishment and sustainability of a network of science 'volunpeers.'

Partnering to Enhance Education and Public Engagement Programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shupla, C.; Bialeschki, D.; Buxner, S.; Felske, L.; Foxworth, S.; Graff, P.; Peticolas, L.; Shaner, A.; Hackler, A. Smith

2016-01-01

Collaborating with partners is a fundamental aspect of the Lunar and Planetary Institute's (LPI) educational and public engagement efforts. Such partnerships enable scientists and educators to include members of the audience in program planning and execution. Ultimately, partnerships strengthen programs by providing diverse resources, expertise, and expanding the potential audience.

Innovation contests to promote sexual health in China: a qualitative evaluation.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Schaffer, David; Tso, Lai Sze; Tang, Songyuan; Tang, Weiming; Huang, Shujie; Yang, Bin; Tucker, Joseph D

2017-01-14

Innovation contests call on non-experts to help solve problems. While these contests have been used extensively in the private sector to increase engagement between organizations and clients, there is little data on the role of innovation contests to promote health campaigns. We implemented an innovation contest in China to increase sexual health awareness among youth and evaluated community engagement in the contest. The sexual health image contest consisted of an open call for sexual health images, contest promotion activities, judging of entries, and celebrating contributions. Contest promotion activities included in-person and social media feedback, classroom didactics, and community-driven activities. We conducted 19 semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample to ensure a range of participant scores, experts and non-expert participants, submitters and non-submitters. Transcripts of each interview were coded with Atlas.ti and evaluated by three reviewers. We identified stages of community engagement in the contest which contributed to public health impact. Community engagement progressed across a continuum from passive, moderate, active, and finally strong engagement. Engagement was a dynamic process that appeared to have little relationship with formally submitting an image to the contest. Among non-expert participants, contest engagement increased knowledge, healthy attitudes, and empowered participants to share ideas about safe sex with others outside of the contest. Among experts who helped organize the contest, the process of implementing the contest fostered multi-sectoral collaboration and re-oriented public health leadership towards more patient-centered public health campaigns. The results of this study suggest that innovation contests may be a useful tool for public health promotion by enhancing community engagement and re-orienting health campaigns to make them more patient-centered.

The Moral of the Tale: Stories, Trust, and Public Engagement with Clinical Ethics via Radio and Theatre.

PubMed

Bowman, Deborah

2017-03-01

Trust is frequently discussed with reference to the professional-patient relationship. However, trust is less explored in relation to the ways in which understanding of, and responses to, questions of ethics are discussed by both the "public" and "experts." Public engagement activity in healthcare ethics may invoke "trust" in analysing a moral question or problem but less frequently conceives of trust as integral to "public engagement" itself. This paper explores the relationship between trust and the ways in which questions of healthcare ethics are identified and negotiated by both "experts" and the public. Drawing on two examples from the author's "public engagement" work-a radio programme for the British Broadcasting Corporation and work with a playwright and theatre-the paper interrogates the ways in which "public engagement" is often characterized. The author argues that the common approach to public engagement in questions of ethics is unhelpfully constrained by a systemic disposition which continues to privilege the professional or expert voice at the expense of meaningful exchange and dialogue. By creating space for novel interactions between the "expert" and the "public," authentic engagement is achieved that enables not only the participants to flourish but also contributes to trust itself.

Global Youth Voices: engaging Bedouin youth in health promotion in the Middle East.

PubMed

Bader, Russell; Wanono, Revital; Hamden, Sami; Skinner, Harvey A

2007-01-01

This study evaluated the six-phase Global Youth Voices model (EIPARS) for engaging youth in community health promotion in the Middle East: 1) engagement, 2) issue identification, 3) planning, 4) action, 5) Rs; research, reflect, reward and 6) sustainability. 20 Grade 9 students (10 boys, 10 girls) from two Bedouin communities: 10 from Tuba-Zangaria in North Israel; 10 from Segev Shalom in the Negev--South Israel. Using low-end (photo-voice, photography) and high-end internet-based technology, youth identified and documented the strengths and weaknesses of their communities, and then undertook a community action project focusing on one important issue. Workbooks including process guides and tools for each step of the EIPARS model are available online at: http://www.globalyouthvoices.org/resources.html. Similar issues were identified in each community: e.g., smoking, injuries, friendships, Bedouin culture. Unique issues identified were suicide at Tuba and industrial pollution at Segev Shalom. Students at Tuba selected Suicide Prevention for a community project and prepared a PowerPoint presentation for educating their peers, teachers and parents. Youth from Segev Shalom created a video and photo exhibit on Violence Prevention. Photo-essays and their action projects were uploaded to the Global Youth Voices website for virtual discussion and sharing with youth globally (www.globalyouthvoices.org/middle-east/greetings-en.html). This project demonstrated that the EIPARS model can be used successfully for engaging youth and creating youth-driven community action in the Middle East. This public health intervention provides a positive approach for building cooperation in conflicted regions.

Analysis of a unique global public-private partnership to promote oral health.

PubMed

Pine, Cynthia M; Dugdill, Lindsey

2011-08-01

Partnerships for health promotion are between two or more partners to work co-operatively towards a set of shared health outcomes; few public-private partnerships in oral health promotion have been established. To undertake a detailed analysis of a unique global public-private partnership to promote oral health between a global company, Unilever and the Féderation Dentaire International (FDI), a membership organisation representing more than one million dentists worldwide. Qualitative and quantitative, including: collating and analysing a wide range of partnership documents (n =164); reviewing film and pictorial records; undertaking structured interviews (n=34) with people who had a critical role in establishing and delivering the aims of the partnership, and external experts; and site visits to selected global projects active at the time of the evaluation. Over 1 million people have been reached directly through their engagement with 39 projects in 36 countries; an oral health message about the benefits of twice daily tooth brushing has appeared with the authority of the FDI logo on billions of packs of Unilever Oral Care's toothpastes worldwide; many individual members of National Dental Associations have participated in health promotion activities within their communities for the first time; some organisational challenges during the development and delivery of the partnership were recognised by both partners. The first phase of this unique global partnership has been successful in making major progress towards achieving its goals; lessons learned have ensured that the next phase of the partnership has significant potential to contribute to improving oral health globally. © 2011 FDI World Dental Federation.

Scientists' Prioritization of Communication Objectives for Public Engagement.

PubMed

Dudo, Anthony; Besley, John C

2016-01-01

Amid calls from scientific leaders for their colleagues to become more effective public communicators, this study examines the objectives that scientists' report drive their public engagement behaviors. We explore how scientists evaluate five specific communication objectives, which include informing the public about science, exciting the public about science, strengthening the public's trust in science, tailoring messages about science, and defending science from misinformation. We use insights from extant research, the theory of planned behavior, and procedural justice theory to identify likely predictors of scientists' views about these communication objectives. Results show that scientists most prioritize communication designed to defend science from misinformation and educate the public about science, and least prioritize communication that seeks to build trust and establish resonance with the public. Regression analyses reveal factors associated with scientists who prioritize each of the five specific communication objectives. Our findings highlight the need for communication trainers to help scientists select specific communication objectives for particular contexts and audiences.

Public and Stakeholder Engagement and the Built Environment: a Review.

PubMed

Leyden, Kevin M; Slevin, Amanda; Grey, Thomas; Hynes, Mike; Frisbaek, Fanney; Silke, Richard

2017-09-01

We review 50 articles from 2015 and 2016 that focus upon public and stakeholder engagement as it pertains to the built environment. Our purpose is to understand the current state of the literature and approaches being used to better enable public and stakeholder engagement. As part of this review, we consider whether recent digital and mobile technologies have enabled advances for stakeholder and public participation. The literature suggests some positive and some challenging developments. Researchers clearly suggest that most policy-makers and planners understand, and to some extent, aspire toward enabling more inclusive participatory planning processes. That said, there is far less consensus as to how to make meaningful inclusive participatory processes possible even with digital, as well as more traditional, tools. This lack of consensus is true across all academic disciplines reviewed. We discuss these issues as well as current solutions offered by many scholars. We find that no single solution can be applied to different situations, as contextual factors create different problems in different situations, and that the participation process itself can create biases that can-intentionally or unintentionally-benefit some participants over others. We conclude with a series of questions for practitioners and researchers to consider when evaluating inclusive engagement.

Using virtual worlds for patient and public engagement

PubMed Central

Taylor, Michael J.; Kaur, Meerat; Sharma, Uvarshi; Taylor, Dave; Reed, Julie E.; Darzi, Ara

2015-01-01

Patient and public involvement is fundamental in healthcare and many methods attempt to facilitate this engagement. The present study investigated use of computer-generated environments known as ‘virtual worlds’ (VW) as an involvement method. The VW used in the present research was Second Life, which is 3-dimensional, publically accessible and internet-based. It is accessed using digital self-representations, or ‘avatars’, through which users navigate the virtual environment and communicate with one another. Participants were patients with long-term conditions, frequently involved in shaping health research and care. Some had mobility and communication difficulties, potentially making involvement through traditional face-to-face modes of engagement challenging. There were 2 stages to this study. Stage-1: Participants were introduced to VWs and Second Life. This was followed by a face-to-face focus group discussion (FGD) in order to gain their views on use of SL. Stage-2: An FGD attended by 8 people (4 patients, 3 researchers, 1 healthcare professional) was conducted in Second Life. Training and support on using Second Life had been provided for participants. The FGD took place successfully, although some technical and communication difficulties were experienced. Data was collected in the form of interviews and questionnaires from the patients about their experience of using the virtual world. Participants recognised the potential of VWs as a platform for patient engagement, especially for those who suffer from chronic conditions that impact severely upon their mobility and communication. Participant feedback indicated that potential barriers include technical problems with VW programs and potential user inexperience of using VWs, which may be counteracted by ensuring provision of continuous training and support. In conclusion, this study established the feasibility of using VWs for patient FGDs and indicates a potential of use of VWs for engagement in

How older citizens engage in their health promotion: a qualitative research-driven taxonomy of experiences and meanings.

PubMed

Menichetti, Julia; Graffigna, Guendalina

2016-07-14

In this qualitative study, we provide an in-depth exploration of older people's experiences and subjective meanings concerning their engagement in health promotion as well as the emotional and pragmatic difficulties they face during their engagement. The study was designed according to the ethnoscience method, which implies a participatory process that values patients' linguistic expressions to deeply understand the phenomena under the investigation and to give it a meaning. Using this method, thanks to repeated rounds of interviews and the Q-sorting task, participants created a dictionary, with the assistance of the researcher, to describe the phenomenon of interest. They agreed on a shared taxonomy of meanings and experiences related to the phenomenon. 25 North Italian older citizens participated in this study. Participants described a shared taxonomy of health engagement experiences by depicting 3 main positions (ie, locked position; awakening position; climbing position), which represented different experiential domains grouped by participants into 4 main semantic areas (eg, physical care, soul care, daily lifestyle, contact with ageing). Each position is characterised by specific emotions, personal representations of meaning and healthy behaviours that may sustain or hinder older citizens' engagement in health promotion. The results of the present study suggest the importance of deeply understanding older peoples' experiences and their subjective meanings of health promotion. In particular, the results showed how their engagement in health promotion is framed in a complex system of psychological meanings, which may sustain or hinder their ability to adopt healthy behaviours. A deeper understanding of older citizens' lived experiences, their doubts and their difficulties in engaging in health promotion may offer some important cues for orienting interventions in this area. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already

Publics in the making: mediating different methods of engagement and the publics these construct : commentary on: "Technologies of democracy: experiments and demonstrations".

PubMed

Mohr, Alison

2011-12-01

The potential for public engagement to democratise science has come under increasing scrutiny amid concerns that conflicting motivations have led to confusion about what engagement means to those who mediate science and publics. This raises important yet relatively unexplored questions regarding how publics are constituted by different forms of engagement used by intermediary scholars and other actors. It is possible to identify at least two possible 'rationalities of mediation' that mobilise different versions of the public and the roles they are assumed to play, as 'citizens' or 'users', in discussions around technology. However, combinations of rationalities are found in practice and these have significant implications for the 'new' scientific democracy.

Promoting Student Engagement through Scholarship in a Teacher Preparation Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanchez, Claudia; Olson-Pacheco, Ali; Grosso, Liliana; Hanley, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

A project entitled "Academic Presentations and Publications by Leaders in Education" (Project APPLE) was developed to offer pre-service teachers opportunities to grow professionally outside traditional coursework requirements. Project APPLE seeks to engage students in teacher education programs in two types of scholarly activities: professional…

Preferences for engagement in health technology assessment decision-making: a nominal group technique with members of the public.

PubMed

Wortley, Sally; Tong, Allison; Howard, Kirsten

2016-02-01

To identify characteristics (factors) about health technology assessment (HTA) decisions that are important to the public in determining whether public engagement should be undertaken and the reasons for these choices. Focus groups using a nominal group technique to identify and rank factors relevant to public engagement in HTA decision-making. Thematic analysis was also undertaken to describe reasons underpinning participants' choices and rankings. Members of the Australian general public. 58 people, aged 19-71 years participated in 6 focus groups. 24 factors were identified by participants that were considered important in determining whether public engagement should be undertaken. These factors were individually ranked and grouped into 4 themes to interpret preferences for engagement. Members of the public were more likely to think public engagement was needed when trade-offs between benefits and costs were required to determine 'value', uncertainties in the evidence were present, and family members and/or carers were impacted. The role of public engagement was also seen as important if the existent system lacked transparency and did not provide a voice for patients, particularly for conditions less known in the community. Members of the public considered value, impact, uncertainty, equity and transparency in determining when engagement should be undertaken. This indicates that the public's preferences on when to undertake engagement relate to both the content of the HTA itself as well as the processes in place to support HTA decision-making. By understanding these preferences, decision-makers can work towards more effective, meaningful public engagement by involving the public in issues that are important to them and/or improving the processes around decision-making. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Demonstrating Impact as a Community-Engaged Scholar within a Research University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacquez, Farrah

2014-01-01

Within promotion processes, research universities traditionally place highest value on grant funding and peer reviewed publications. In contrast, community-engaged research tends to value community partnerships and direct community benefit. Community-engaged early career faculty can have difficulty negotiating the demands required for promotion…

Scientists’ Prioritization of Communication Objectives for Public Engagement

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Amid calls from scientific leaders for their colleagues to become more effective public communicators, this study examines the objectives that scientists’ report drive their public engagement behaviors. We explore how scientists evaluate five specific communication objectives, which include informing the public about science, exciting the public about science, strengthening the public’s trust in science, tailoring messages about science, and defending science from misinformation. We use insights from extant research, the theory of planned behavior, and procedural justice theory to identify likely predictors of scientists' views about these communication objectives. Results show that scientists most prioritize communication designed to defend science from misinformation and educate the public about science, and least prioritize communication that seeks to build trust and establish resonance with the public. Regression analyses reveal factors associated with scientists who prioritize each of the five specific communication objectives. Our findings highlight the need for communication trainers to help scientists select specific communication objectives for particular contexts and audiences. PMID:26913869

Outside the Margins: Promotion and Tenure with a Public Scholarship Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchinson, Mary

2011-01-01

Engagement and outreach scholarship has been encouraged among faculty to address the challenge of bringing university resources to meet the needs of society. However, a divide persists, especially apparent at research-focused universities, between the encouraging rhetoric about engagement and the actual reward structure through the promotion and…

Space Culture: Innovative Cultural Approaches To Public Engagement With Astronomy, Space Science And Astronautics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malina, Roger F.

2012-01-01

In recent years a number of cultural organizations have established ongoing programs of public engagement with astronomy, space science and astronautics. Many involve elements of citizen science initiatives, artists’ residencies in scientific laboratories and agencies, art and science festivals, and social network projects as well as more traditional exhibition venues. Recognizing these programs several agencies and organizations have established mechanisms for facilitating public engagement with astronomy and space science through cultural activities. The International Astronautics Federation has established an Technical Activities Committee for the Cultural Utilization of Space. Over the past year the NSF and NEA have organized disciplinary workshops to develop recommendations relating to art-science interaction and community building efforts. Rationales for encouraging public engagement via cultural projects range from theory of creativity, innovation and invention to cultural appropriation in the context of `socially robust science’ as advocated by Helga Nowotny of the European Research Council. Public engagement with science, as opposed to science education and outreach initiatives, require different approaches. Just as organizations have employed education professionals to lead education activities, so they must employ cultural professionals if they wish to develop public engagement projects via arts and culture. One outcome of the NSF and NEA workshops has been development of a rationale for converting STEM to STEAM by including the arts in STEM methodologies, particularly for K-12 where students can access science via arts and cultural contexts. Often these require new kinds of informal education approaches that exploit locative media, gaming platforms, artists projects and citizen science. Incorporating astronomy and space science content in art and cultural projects requires new skills in `cultural translation’ and `trans-mediation’ and new kinds

Disciplinary Variations in Publicly Engaged Scholarship: An Analysis Using the Biglan Classification of Academic Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doberneck, Diane M.; Schweitzer, John H.

2017-01-01

Although contemporary models of faculty involvement in publicly engaged scholarship recognize the important influence of disciplines on faculty members, few studies have investigated disciplinary variations empirically. This study used the Biglan classification of academic disciplines to analyze publicly engaged scholarly activities reported by…

Public transport policy, social engagement and mental health in older age: a quasi-experimental evaluation of free bus passes in England.

PubMed

Reinhard, Erica; Courtin, Emilie; van Lenthe, Frank J; Avendano, Mauricio

2018-05-01

Social engagement and social isolation are key determinants of mental health in older age, yet there is limited evidence on how public policies may contribute to reducing isolation, promoting social engagement and improving mental health among older people. This study examines the impact of the introduction of an age-friendly transportation policy, free bus passes, on the mental health of older people in England. We use an instrumental variable (IV) approach that exploits eligibility criteria for free bus passes to estimate the impact of increased public transportation use on depressive symptoms, loneliness, social isolation and social engagement. Eligibility for the free bus travel pass was associated with an 8% (95% CI 6.4% to 9.6%) increase in the use of public transportation among older people. The IV model suggests that using public transport reduces depressive symptoms by 0.952 points (95% CI -1.712 to -0.192) on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. IV models also suggest that using public transport reduces feelings of loneliness (β -0.794, 95% CI -1.528 to -0.061), increases volunteering at least monthly (β 0.237, 95% CI 0.059 to 0.414) and increases having regular contact with children (β 0.480, 95% CI 0.208 to 0.752) and friends (β 0.311, 95% CI 0.109 to 0.513). Free bus travel is associated with reductions in depressive symptoms and feelings of loneliness among older people. Transportation policies may increase older people's social engagement and consequently deliver significant benefits to mental health. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Engaging with the Views of Students to Promote Inclusion in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ainscow, Mel; Messiou, Kyriaki

2018-01-01

The argument developed in this paper is set within the context of an increasing global concern to promote inclusion in education. Drawing on the authors' research over many years, it argues that an engagement with the views of students can lead to changes in understandings and practices that help to facilitate the development of more inclusive…

What Can Secondary School Students Teach Educators and School Nurses about Student Engagement in Health Promotion? A Scoping Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Amy J.; Reilly, Sandra M.

2017-01-01

Student engagement represents a critical component of a comprehensive school health (CSH) approach to health promotion. Nevertheless, questions remain about its implementation. This scoping review updates the field of student engagement in health promotion. Of the 1,388 located articles, 14 qualify for inclusion in this study. An analysis reveals…

Context-based Strategies for Engaging Consumers with Public Reports about Health Care Providers

PubMed Central

Shaller, Dale; Kanouse, David E.; Schlesinger, Mark

2017-01-01

Efforts to engage consumers in the use of public reports on health care provider performance have met with limited success. Fostering greater engagement will require new approaches that provide consumers with relevant content at the time and in the context they need to make a decision of consequence. To this end, we identify three key factors influencing consumer engagement and show how they manifest in different ways and combinations for four particular choice contexts that appear to offer realistic opportunities for engagement. We analyze how these engagement factors play out differently in each choice context and suggest specific strategies that sponsors of public reports can use in each context. Cross-cutting lessons for report sponsors and policy makers include new media strategies such as a commitment to adaptive web-based reporting, new metrics with richer emotional content, and the use of navigators or advocates to assist consumers with interpreting reports. PMID:23819945

Strategies for Positive Engagement with the Public in the Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, R.

2017-12-01

Strategies for engaging with the public about the geosciences are abundant. Whether engaging in these endeavors through professional opportunties associated with their research activities, or in their personal lives, scientists have numerous ways in which they can share the science they care so much about with the public. While participating in tried and true well-designed "outreach" activities associated with research projects has become a classic approach over the past 20 years, this is not the only way to reach "the public". Indeed, as we have recently learned, such approaches depend on the availability of funding for research projects and outreach components. With potentially large research funding cuts looming at federal agencies, and the future of "education and outreach" associated with funded projects in question, we need to think hard about approaches that are not so closely tied to the federal government. Engaging with the public through involvement in the K-12 educational arena provides another avenue to reach people - not only students and teachers, but also the parents of the students. Furthermore, engagement in local communities - on school boards as a member or regular attendee, in civic groups, in museums on their boards or as volunteers, in congregations, and in more informal local associations are additional opportunities. Indeed, one of the most important resources we have, as geoscientists, is ourselves. While many of us may be involved with groups in our communities, our willingness to openly talk about our science in ways that are accessible to members of the public is less clear. Indeed, some of us may intentionally avoid discussing our research with neighbors and friends for any number of reasons. But by doing so, we have effectively allowed scientists to be framed as "the other" - rather than the neighbor with a kid on the soccer team who occasionally hosts a sleepover for the team, or who really knows how to grill a nice steak, or who

Physical Therapy 2.0: Leveraging Social Media to Engage Patients in Rehabilitation and Health Promotion

PubMed Central

Knight, Emily; Werstine, Robert J.; Rasmussen-Pennington, Diane M.; Fitzsimmons, Deborah

2015-01-01

Care for chronic conditions and noncommunicable diseases is dominating health systems around the globe. For physical therapists, this strain presents a substantial opportunity for engaging patients in health promotion and disease management in the years to come. Examples of social media being used to engage consumers in the business landscape are pervasive, and research reports suggest that patients are ready for social media to be incorporated into the way health care systems deliver care. We propose that leveraging the power and utility of existing technologies, such as social media, could innovate the way physical therapists engage patients in rehabilitation and health promotion practices, thus contributing to the evolution of the profession: Physical Therapy 2.0. To continue to be relevant in the community, physical therapist practice must respond to patients' needs and expectations. Incorporating social media into how physical therapists are both designing and delivering care holds potential for enhancing patient engagement in prescribed health behaviors and improving treatment outcomes. This conceptual article presents the perspective that physical therapists can utilize social media to enhance care delivery and treatment outcomes. PMID:24627429

Negotiating community engagement and science in the federal environmental public health sector.

PubMed

Little, Peter C

2009-06-01

In this case study, I use ethnographic data to explore how community engagement and science are deployed at the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, with the goal of formulating an understanding of the personalized meanings of science-community relations for key environmental public health experts. In focus is the cultural discourse circulating in the agency that exposes the real concerns, beliefs, and attitudes of these scientists and experts vis-&-vis their community engagement experiences. Finally, I propose that critical attention to the place of power relations, knowledge politics, and environmental justice are fundamental to studies of toxic contamination where commitments to community engagement and quality science are joined to form a positive research goal and where attempts are made to improve the conditions of quality environmental public health service.

Framing clean energy campaigns to promote civic engagement among parents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanus, Nichole; Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle; Hoyos, Lisa; Rauch, Molly

2018-03-01

Civic engagement is one important way citizens can influence the rate of decarbonization in the electricity sector. However, motivating engagement can be challenging even if people are affected and interested in participating. Here we employed a randomized controlled trial to assess the effect of clean energy campaigns emphasizing cost savings, health, climate, or health and climate, or no additional information at all (control) on civic engagement behaviors (signing a petition or making a phone call). We targeted parents as they have been shown to be powerful agents of political and business practice change in other contexts, and hence, could play an important role in the decarbonization of the electricity sector. In Study 1, we recruited n = 292 parents already engaged in climate advocacy; in Study 2, we recruited a representative sample of n = 1254 parents drawn from the general public. Both studies were conducted in Michigan, Florida, and California, as these states have sizable advocacy group membership, divergent energy profiles, and strategic importance to the climate movement. In both studies, we find the odds of taking action are reduced by over 90% when participants are asked to make a phone call and leave a voicemail message, versus signing an online petition. Among the parents already engaged in advocacy, we observe a ceiling effect regarding attitudes towards clean energy and find the cost campaign produces unintended consequences. Among our public sample, we find that participants who believe the campaign to be credible and comprehendible are more likely to take action than those who discredit the campaign or do not understand its message. Additionally, we find parents who have children under the age of 18 negatively adjust their attitudes towards fossil fuels after being presented with health information. Ultimately, we find that campaign messages can influence energy attitudes and parents are willing to take action on the topic if the

Science communication in transition: genomics hype, public engagement, education and commercialization pressures.

PubMed

Bubela, T

2006-11-01

This essay reports on the final session of a 2-day workshop entitled 'Genetic Diversity and Science Communication', hosted by the CIHR Institute of Genetics in Toronto, April 2006. The first speaker, Timothy Caulfield, introduced the intersecting communities that promulgate a 'cycle of hype' of the timelines and expected outcomes of the Human Genome Project (HGP): scientists, the media and the public. Other actors also contribute to the overall hype, the social science and humanities communities, industry and politicians. There currently appears to be an abatement of the overblown rhetoric of the HGP. As pointed out by the second speaker, Sharon Kardia, there is broad recognition that most phenotypic traits, including disease susceptibility are multi-factorial. That said, George Davey-Smith reminded us that some direct genotype-phenotype associations may be useful for public health issues. The Mendelian randomization approach hopes to revitalize the discipline of epidemiology by strengthening causal influences about environmentally modifiable risk factors. A more realistic informational environment paves the way for greater public engagement in science policy. Two such initiatives were presented by Kardia and Jason Robert, and Peter Finegold emphasized that science education and professional development for science teachers are important components of later public engagement in science issues. However, pressures on public research institutions to commercialize and seek industry funding may have negative impacts in both encouraging scientists to inappropriately hype research and on diminishing public trust in the scientific enterprise. The latter may have a significant effect on public engagement processes, such as those proposed by Robert and Kardia.

Engaging the public in biodiversity issues

PubMed Central

Novacek, Michael J.

2008-01-01

To engage people in biodiversity and other environmental issues, one must provide the opportunity for enhanced understanding that empowers individuals to make choices and take action based on sound science and reliable recommendations. To this end, we must acknowledge some real challenges. Recent surveys show that, despite growing public concern, environmental issues still rank below many other problems, such as terrorism, health care, the economy, and (in the U.S.) family values. Moreover, much of the recent upswing in interest in the environment is due to the marked shift in attention to global warming away from other environmental problems such as destruction of ecosystems, water pollution, overpopulation, and biodiversity loss. Such a change in public focus often comes with a tendency to decouple various environmental problems and ignore their synergistic effects. Exacerbating this problem are arguments from the media and other sources that discourage public interest in environmental topics by characterizing the science behind them as overly complex, immersed in debate and controversy, and detached from human interests. Educational programming, media, exhibitions, and other means of public outreach should build on the welcome increase in public interest in global warming by demonstrating the interplay of various environmental disruptions. In the case of biodiversity, the importance of species in providing ecosystem services, natural beauty and pleasure, and sustaining human lives is a message that requires constant attention and recrafting to impact diverse audiences. PMID:18695244

SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) 15: Engaging the public in evidence-informed policymaking

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

This article is part of a series written for people responsible for making decisions about health policies and programmes and for those who support these decision makers. In this article, we address strategies to inform and engage the public in policy development and implementation. The importance of engaging the public (both patients and citizens) at all levels of health systems is widely recognised. They are the ultimate recipients of the desirable and undesirable impacts of public policies, and many governments and organisations have acknowledged the value of engaging them in evidence-informed policy development. The potential benefits of doing this include the establishment of policies that include their ideas and address their concerns, the improved implementation of policies, improved health services, and better health. Public engagement can also be viewed as a goal in itself by encouraging participative democracy, public accountability and transparency. We suggest three questions that can be considered with regard to public participation strategies. These are: 1. What strategies can be used when working with the mass media to inform the public about policy development and implementation? 2. What strategies can be used when working with civil society groups to inform and engage them in policy development and implementation? 3. What methods can be used to involve consumers in policy development and implementation? PMID:20018105

Alerting the general population to genetic risks: the value of health messages communicating the existence of genetic risk factors for public health promotion.

PubMed

Smerecnik, Chris M R; Mesters, Ilse; de Vries, Nanne K; de Vries, Hein

2009-11-01

Health messages alerting the public to previously unknown genetic risk factors for multifactorial diseases are a potentially useful strategy to create public awareness, and may be an important first step in promoting public health. However, there is a lack of evidence-based insight into its impact on individuals who were unaware of the existence of genetic risk factors at the moment of information exposure. The authors conducted 3 experimental studies with health messages communicating information about genetic risk factors for salt sensitivity (Studies 1A and 1B) and heightened cholesterol (Study 2) compared with general information without reference to genetic risk factors as a between-subjects variable and risk perception and intention to engage in preventive behavior as dependent variables. All 3 studies revealed lower perceived susceptibility among participants who received information on genetic risk factors, which was associated with lowered intentions to engage in preventive behavior. In Studies 1A and 1B, these effects were observed only for previously unaware individuals, whereas in Study 2, they were observed for the entire sample. Alerting the public to the existence of genetic risk factors may not necessarily be beneficial to public health. Public health promoters should be aware of the possible adverse effects of alerting the general population to genetic risk factors, and should simultaneously educate the public about the meaning and consequences of such factors. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

England's Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) initiative: Facilitating the engagement of pharmacy support staff in public health.

PubMed

Donovan, G R; Paudyal, V

2016-01-01

The concept of the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) in England was first piloted in Portsmouth in 2010. HLPs proactively promote health and wellbeing, offering brief advice, services or signposting on a range of health issues such as smoking, physical activity, sexual health, healthy eating and alcohol consumption. To explore the views and attitudes of pharmacy support staff on the Healthy Living Pharmacy (HLP) initiative. Qualitative semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted with pharmacy support staff recruited from community pharmacies involved in the HLP initiative in the Northumberland region of England. A topic guide was developed which underwent face validity testing and piloting with one participant. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using framework technique. A total of 21 pharmacy support staff from 12 HLPs participated in the study. Results suggest that involving pharmacy support staff at very early stages of the HLP planning process drives their motivation for service delivery. Level of engagement with HLP services was often related to support staff roles within pharmacy. Integration of public health roles with routine pharmacy activities was perceived to be more suited to pharmacy counter based roles than dispensing roles. Further training needs were identified around how to proactively deliver public health advice, mainly in service areas perceived 'difficult' by the participants, such as weight management. A total of 19 facilitators/barriers were identified from the data including training, access to information, client feedback, availability of space and facilities within pharmacies, time and competing priorities. Pharmacy support staff engagement with the HLP initiative can be promoted by involving them from the outset of the service introduction process. Support staff might benefit from targeted training around certain public health areas within the HLP initiative. Facilitators/barriers identified in this

Health Risk Information Engagement and Amplification on Social Media.

PubMed

Strekalova, Yulia A

2017-04-01

Emerging pandemics call for unique health communication and education strategies in which public health agencies need to satisfy the public's information needs about possible risks while preventing risk exaggeration and dramatization. As a route to providing a framework for understanding public information behaviors in response to an emerging pandemic, this study examined the characteristics of communicative behaviors of social media audiences in response to Ebola outbreak news. Grounded in the social amplification of risks framework, this study adds to an understanding of information behaviors of online audiences by showing empirical differences in audience engagement with online health information. The data were collected from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Facebook channel. The final data set included 809 CDC posts and 35,916 audience comments. The analysis identified the differences in audience information behaviors in response to an emerging pandemic, Ebola, and health promotion posts. While the CDC had fewer posts on Ebola than health promotion topics, the former received more attention from active page users. Furthermore, audience members who actively engaged with Ebola news had a small overlap with those who engaged with non-Ebola information during the same period. Overall, this study demonstrated that information behavior and audience engagement is topic dependent. Furthermore, audiences who commented on news about an emerging pandemic were homogenous and varied in their degree of information amplification.

Engaging the public on climate change issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bean, Alice

2016-03-01

As a Jefferson Science Fellow from August 2014-August 2015, Alice Bean worked with the Office of Religion and Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of State on climate change and environmental issues. The Office of Religion and Global Affairs works to implement the National Strategy on Religious Leader and Faith Community Engagement which includes building partnerships on environmental issues. With the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties meeting 21 in December, 2015 in Paris, there were and continue to be great opportunities for physicists to interact with policy makers and the general public. As an experimental particle physicist, much was learned about climate change science, how the public views scientists, how science can influence policy, but most especially how to communicate about science.

Engaging Nigerian community pharmacists in public health programs: assessment of their knowledge, attitude and practice in Enugu metropolis.

PubMed

Offu, Ogochukwu; Anetoh, Maureen; Okonta, Matthew; Ekwunife, Obinna

2015-01-01

The Nigerian health sector battles with control of infectious diseases and emerging non-communicable diseases. Number of healthcare personnel involved in public health programs need to be boosted to contain the health challenges of the country. Therefore, it is important to assess whether community pharmacists in Nigeria could be engaged in the promotion and delivery of various public health interventions. This study aimed to assess level of knowledge, attitude and practice of public health by community pharmacists. The cross sectional survey was carried out in Enugu metropolis. Questionnaire items were developed from expert literature. Percentage satisfactory knowledge and practice were obtained by determining the percentage of community pharmacists that were able to list more than 2 activities or that stated the correct answer. Attitude score represents the average score on the 5 point Likert scale for each item. Chi square and Fisher's exact test were used to test for statistically significant difference in knowledge, attitude and practice of public health between different groups of community pharmacists. Forty pharmacists participated in the survey. About one third of the participants had satisfactory knowledge of public health. With the exception of one item in attitude assessment, average item score ranged from 'agreed' to 'strongly agreed'. Study participants scored below satisfactory on practice of public health. Knowledge, attitude and practice of public health were not influenced by years of practice, qualification and prior public health experience. Reported barriers to the practice of public health include inadequate funds, lack of time, lack of space, cooperation of clients, inadequate staff, government regulation, insufficient knowledge, and remuneration. Level of knowledge and practice of public health by community pharmacists were not satisfactory although they had a positive attitude towards practice of public health. The findings highlight the

A Guide to Public Engagement and School Finance Litigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Public Education Network, 2005

2005-01-01

This guide was developed to encourage community organizations to employ public engagement strategies in the context of school finance litigation taking place in their states. While litigation may at times seem daunting and complex to non-lawyers, there is much that community-based organizations concerned with education reform can do to become…

NASA's SMD Cross-Forum Resources for Supporting Scientist Engagement in Education and Public Outreach Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, S.; Cobabe-Ammann, E. A.; Hsu, B. C.; Sharma, M.; Peticolas, L. M.; Schwerin, T. G.; Shipp, S. S.; Smith, D.

2012-12-01

Sharing the excitement of ongoing scientific discoveries is an important aspect of scientific activity for researchers. Directly engaging scientists in education and public outreach (E/PO) activities has the benefit of directly connecting the public to those who engage in scientific activities. A shortage of training in education methods, public speaking, and working with various public audiences increases barriers to engaging scientists in these types in E/PO activities. NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Education and Public forums (astrophysics, earth science, heliophysics, and planetary science) support scientists currently involved in E/PO and who are interested in becoming involved in E/PO through a variety of avenues. Over the past three years, the forums have developed a variety of resources to help engage scientists in education and public outreach. We will showcase the following resources developed through the SMD E/PO cross-forum efforts: Professional development resources for writing NASA SMD E/PO proposals (webinars and other online tools), ongoing professional development at scientific conferences to increase scientist engagement in E/PO activities, toolkits for scientists interested in best practices in E/PO (online guides for K-12 education and public outreach), toolkits to inform scientists of science education resources developed within each scientific thematic community, EarthSpace (a community web space where instructors can find and share about teaching space and earth sciences in the undergraduate classroom, including class materials news and funding opportunities, and the latest education research, http://www.lpi.usra.edu/earthspace/), thematic resources for teaching about SMD science topics, and an online database of scientists interested in connecting with education programs. Learn more about the Forum and find resources at http://smdepo.org/.

Physical therapy 2.0: leveraging social media to engage patients in rehabilitation and health promotion.

PubMed

Knight, Emily; Werstine, Robert J; Rasmussen-Pennington, Diane M; Fitzsimmons, Deborah; Petrella, Robert J

2015-03-01

Care for chronic conditions and noncommunicable diseases is dominating health systems around the globe. For physical therapists, this strain presents a substantial opportunity for engaging patients in health promotion and disease management in the years to come. Examples of social media being used to engage consumers in the business landscape are pervasive, and research reports suggest that patients are ready for social media to be incorporated into the way health care systems deliver care. We propose that leveraging the power and utility of existing technologies, such as social media, could innovate the way physical therapists engage patients in rehabilitation and health promotion practices, thus contributing to the evolution of the profession: Physical Therapy 2.0. To continue to be relevant in the community, physical therapist practice must respond to patients' needs and expectations. Incorporating social media into how physical therapists are both designing and delivering care holds potential for enhancing patient engagement in prescribed health behaviors and improving treatment outcomes. This conceptual article presents the perspective that physical therapists can utilize social media to enhance care delivery and treatment outcomes. © 2015 American Physical Therapy Association.

76 FR 34994 - Vaccine To Protect Children From Anthrax-Public Engagement Workshop

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-15

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Vaccine To Protect Children From Anthrax--Public.... SUMMARY: The National Biodefense Science Board's (NBSB) Anthrax Vaccine (AV) Working Group (WG) will hold a public engagement workshop on July 7, 2011, to discuss vaccine to protect children from anthrax...

Astrobiology, Evolution, and Society: Public Engagement Insights

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertka, C. M.

2009-12-01

frequently was “my religious beliefs.” A review of religious identification in this country will be presented in the context of offering insights for public engagement on the topic of evolution, and the contribution that astrobiology could make to encouraging a positive relationship between science and religion. A widespread acceptance of evolution in the United States may require that the scientific community go beyond a simple contrast approach to science and religion and be willing to encourage, and participate in, a program of in-depth and long-term engagement with theologians and religious community leaders. Astrobiology as a discipline is particularly burdened, perhaps blessed, with the responsibility to engage this issue. After all, humanity itself may be inherently defined by the ability we collectively posses to ask “Where did we come from?,” “Are we alone?,” and “Where are we going?”

Productive engagement among older Americans: prevalence, patterns, and implications for public policy.

PubMed

Hinterlong, James E

2008-01-01

This study estimates the prevalence of productive engagement among adults aged 60 and over residing in the United States over a nine-year period. We analyze three waves of data from the Americans' Changing Lives Study, which allows the findings to describe the non-institutionalized older American population. Focusing upon five activities--formal paid employment, irregular paid work, unpaid volunteerism, caregiving, and informal assistance to others--we identify changes in the engagement rates, examine the extent to which engagement occurs through single or multiple concurrent activities, and document intra-individual patterns of engagement within and across forms of productive activity, including the continuity, initiation, and cessation of involvement. The findings reveal that late-life productive engagement is widespread, with the majority of older individuals involved in multiple forms of activity concurrently. Non-market-based activities such as caregiving, informal assistance, and volunteering are most prevalent. Initiation and cessation of activities are common and yield more complex patterns and lower rates of non-participation than are revealed in cross-sectional analyses. Time spent in productive engagement is highly variable and exhibits an overall decline across time. We conclude by highlighting policy strategies to increase the availability and quality of opportunities for productive engagement and promote planning for engagement in late life.

Promoting University Students' Engagement in Learning through Instructor-Initiated EFL Writing Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mutwarasibo, Faustin

2014-01-01

This article examines how to promote university students' engagement in learning by means of instructor-initiated English as a foreign language (EFL) writing groups. The research took place in Rwanda and was undertaken as a case study involving 34 second-year undergraduate students, divided into 12 small working groups, and one instructor. The…

75 FR 1492 - Commission Guidance Regarding Independent Public Accountant Engagements Performed Pursuant to...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-11

... Guidance Regarding Independent Public Accountant Engagements Performed Pursuant to Rule 206(4)-2 Under the... independent public accountants in connection with the adoption of amendments to Rule 206(4)-2 under the... least once during each calendar year by an independent public accountant \\1\\ (``accountant''), pursuant...

CES4Health.info: an online tool for peer reviewed publication and dissemination of diverse products of community-engaged scholarship.

PubMed

Jordan, Catherine; Seifer, Sarena D; Gelmon, Sherril B; Ryan, Katharine; McGinley, Piper

2011-01-01

Community-engaged scholarship (CES)-research, teaching, programmatic and other scholarly activities conducted through partnerships between academic and community partners-may result in innovative applied products such as manuals, policy briefs, curricula, videos, toolkits, and websites. Without accepted mechanisms for peer-reviewed publication and dissemination, these products often do not "count" toward faculty promotion and tenure (P&T) and have limited opportunities for broad impact. This paper reports on CES4Health.info, a unique online tool for peer-reviewed publication and dissemination of products of CES in forms other than journal articles. In its first year, CES4Health.info has published 24 products and documented the satisfaction of users, authors, and reviewers.

Climate Generation: Advancing Climate Action through Education, Public Engagement and Youth Leadership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poppleton, K. L. I.

2017-12-01

Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy empowers youth, educators, decision-makers and the public to foster climate literacy and action with the goal of building a more equitable and resilient future. We have over eleven years of experience delivering high-quality K-12 education, public engagement and youth leadership programming, reaching over 75,000 people, 35,000 students and 17,000 educators since 2006. By engaging educators, youth, and the public, we believe that communities can be better positioned to build a resilient and equitable future. For this reason we strive to engage with all these sectors through innovative programming and policy initiatives. Communities are resilient when individuals are connected to each other, resources, and decision-makers. Sharing personal narratives, and highlighting locally relevant solutions are all tools that Climate Generation employs to engage the public. We do this through community wide convenings, as well as sector specific events including at breweries, art fairs, and businesses. Education is also an integral piece for sustained action on climate change. We support educators with a science-based, interdisciplinary model of climate change education that engages all learners, and fosters climate literacy and action. We develop curriculum and offer professional development, encouraging teachers to develop today's students into action-competent citizens. Finally, Climate Generation recognizes the importance of empowering high school youth as a key strategy in transitioning to a just and sustainable future for all. We believe in the inherent genius of youth and know from experience that mentorship fosters powerful youth leadership at the community level, inspiring peers, family members, and local decision-makers to take critical action on climate change solutions. In order to accelerate and implement action on climate change we must take a multi-faceted approach: we are building public will for strong climate action at

Executive Leadership and Physician Well-being: Nine Organizational Strategies to Promote Engagement and Reduce Burnout.

PubMed

Shanafelt, Tait D; Noseworthy, John H

2017-01-01

These are challenging times for health care executives. The health care field is experiencing unprecedented changes that threaten the survival of many health care organizations. To successfully navigate these challenges, health care executives need committed and productive physicians working in collaboration with organization leaders. Unfortunately, national studies suggest that at least 50% of US physicians are experiencing professional burnout, indicating that most executives face this challenge with a disillusioned physician workforce. Burnout is a syndrome characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced effectiveness. Physician burnout has been shown to influence quality of care, patient safety, physician turnover, and patient satisfaction. Although burnout is a system issue, most institutions operate under the erroneous framework that burnout and professional satisfaction are solely the responsibility of the individual physician. Engagement is the positive antithesis of burnout and is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption in work. There is a strong business case for organizations to invest in efforts to reduce physician burnout and promote engagement. Herein, we summarize 9 organizational strategies to promote physician engagement and describe how we have operationalized some of these approaches at Mayo Clinic. Our experience demonstrates that deliberate, sustained, and comprehensive efforts by the organization to reduce burnout and promote engagement can make a difference. Many effective interventions are relatively inexpensive, and small investments can have a large impact. Leadership and sustained attention from the highest level of the organization are the keys to making progress. Copyright © 2016 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Student Engagement in Public Universities in the Context of University of Raparin Kurdistan Region--Iraq

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmad, Paiman Ramazan

2015-01-01

To the best of our knowledge this is the first attempt to investigate student engagement in learning within the Kurdistan region in general and at University of Raparin in particular. Student engagement, self-learning, faculty-student interaction and promoting personal responsibility, besides environment of learning are the components for this…

Galaxy Zoo: Science and Public Engagement Hand in Hand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masters, Karen; Lintott, Chris; Feldt, Julie; Keel, Bill; Skibba, Ramin

2015-08-01

Galaxy Zoo (www.galaxyzoo.org) is familiar to many as a hugely successful citizen science project. Hundreds of thousands of members of the public have contributed to Galaxy Zoo which collects visual classifications of galaxies in images from a variety of surveys (e.g. the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Hubble Space Telescope surveys, and others) using an internet tool. Galaxy Zoo inspired the creation of "The Zooniverse" (www.zooniverse.org) which is now the world's leading online platform for citizens science, hosting a growing number of projects (at the time of writing ~30) making use of crowdsourced data analysis in all areas of academic research, and boasting over 1.3 million participants.Galaxy Zoo has also shown itself, in a series of (now ~60) peer reviewed papers, to be a fantastic database for the study of galaxy evolution. Participation in citizen science is also fantastic public engagement with scientific research. But what do the participants learn while they are involved in crowdsourced data analysis?In this talk I will discuss how public engagement via citizen science can be an effective means of outreach from data intensive astronomical surveys. A citizen science project (if done right) can and should increase the scientific output of an astronomical project, while at the same time inspiring participants to learn more about the science and techniques of astronomy.

Student Engagement and Inclusive Education: Reframing "Student Engagement"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallee, Daniel

2017-01-01

"Engagement," or "student engagement," is widely used in educational research and public discourse to refer to the problem of public education. The underlying ontological and epistemological assumptions buoying engagement are rarely, if ever, addressed by educational researchers. The "silent omission" (Sidorkin 2014.…

Facebook Advertising Across an Engagement Spectrum: A Case Example for Public Health Communication.

PubMed

Platt, Tevah; Platt, Jodyn; Thiel, Daniel B; Kardia, Sharon L R

2016-05-30

The interpersonal, dialogic features of social networking sites have untapped potential for public health communication. We ran a Facebook advertising campaign to raise statewide awareness of Michigan's newborn screening and biobanking programs. We ran a Facebook advertising campaign to stimulate public engagement on the complex and sensitive issue of Michigan's newborn screening and biobank programs. We ran an 11-week, US $15,000 Facebook advertising campaign engaging Michigan Facebook users aged 18-64 years about the state's newborn screening and population biobank programs, and we used a novel "engagement spectrum" framework to contextualize and evaluate engagement outcomes ranging from observation to multi-way conversation. The campaign reached 1.88 million Facebook users, yielding a range of engagement outcomes across ad sets that varied by objective, content, budget, duration, and bid type. Ad sets yielded 9009 page likes (US $4125), 15,958 website clicks (US $5578), and 12,909 complete video views to 100% (US $3750). "Boosted posts" yielded 528 comments and 35,966 page post engagements (US $1500). Overall, the campaign led to 452 shares and 642 comments, including 176 discussing newborn screening and biobanking. Facebook advertising campaigns can efficiently reach large populations and achieve a range of engagement outcomes by diversifying ad types, bid types, and content. This campaign provided a population-based approach to communication that also increased transparency on a sensitive and complex topic by creating a forum for multi-way interaction.

Facebook Advertising Across an Engagement Spectrum: A Case Example for Public Health Communication

PubMed Central

Platt, Jodyn; Thiel, Daniel B; Kardia, Sharon L. R

2016-01-01

Background The interpersonal, dialogic features of social networking sites have untapped potential for public health communication. We ran a Facebook advertising campaign to raise statewide awareness of Michigan’s newborn screening and biobanking programs. Objective We ran a Facebook advertising campaign to stimulate public engagement on the complex and sensitive issue of Michigan’s newborn screening and biobank programs. Methods We ran an 11-week, US $15,000 Facebook advertising campaign engaging Michigan Facebook users aged 18-64 years about the state’s newborn screening and population biobank programs, and we used a novel “engagement spectrum” framework to contextualize and evaluate engagement outcomes ranging from observation to multi-way conversation. Results The campaign reached 1.88 million Facebook users, yielding a range of engagement outcomes across ad sets that varied by objective, content, budget, duration, and bid type. Ad sets yielded 9009 page likes (US $4125), 15,958 website clicks (US $5578), and 12,909 complete video views to 100% (US $3750). “Boosted posts” yielded 528 comments and 35,966 page post engagements (US $1500). Overall, the campaign led to 452 shares and 642 comments, including 176 discussing newborn screening and biobanking. Conclusions Facebook advertising campaigns can efficiently reach large populations and achieve a range of engagement outcomes by diversifying ad types, bid types, and content. This campaign provided a population-based approach to communication that also increased transparency on a sensitive and complex topic by creating a forum for multi-way interaction. PMID:27244774

Astronomy in the United States: Workforce Development and Public Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Impey, Chris

2012-08-01

Astronomy workforce development and public engagement in the United States are described. The number of professional astronomers has grown by about a third in the past 25 years, to about 4000. Only one in four are faculty in an academic setting; the rest work in a wide range of public and private research institutes. PhD production has remained steady at about 200 per year. Women account for roughly half of BSc degrees and a third of PhD degrees, but their participation declines to about 10% at the level of full professor. Minorities are underrepresented by a substantial factor at all levels of the profession. In terms of public engagement, astronomy has unique advantages associated with its visual appeal and the large and active amateur astronomy community. The are 1400 public planetaria in the US, with another 110 in schools and universities. Astronomers have made good use of new media such as blogs and podcasts and social networks, but the biggest impact has been in the area of citizen science, where people with no technical background contribute directly to a research project by, for example, classifying galaxies. The International Year of Astronomy and the remarkable success of the Galileoscope have inspired large numbers of people to appreciate astronomy, contributing indirectly to the professional vitality of the field.

Public engagement workshop: how to improve medicines for older people?

PubMed

Orlu-Gul, Mine; Raimi-Abraham, Bahijja; Jamieson, Elizabeth; Wei, Li; Murray, Macey; Stawarz, Katarzyna; Stegemann, Sven; Tuleu, Catherine; Smith, Felicity J

2014-01-01

Public engagement in medication management has become more and more important in promoting population health. A public engagement workshop attended by 78 members of the geriatric community, family carers as well as professionals from academic research, industry and regulatory agencies entitled 'How to improve medicines for older people?' took place on the 2nd July 2013 at the University College London (UCL) School of Pharmacy. The main aim of the event was to provide a dynamic environment for information exchange and to identify ways of improving current and future geriatric drug therapy. The day opened with presentations from UCL School of Pharmacy researchers on the use of medicines at home, formulations, administration devices and multi-component compliance aids (MCAs) whilst a representative from UCL Interaction Centre gave an insightful presentation on human errors and resilience strategies regarding medication use. These opening presentations encouraged participants to share their own experiences as well as initiating a lively debate. Following the plenary presentations, the workshop was divided into 8 groups for parallel discussion session. These opinion sharing sessions witnessed fruitful discussions between patients, carers and researchers. The day closed with a panel session of representatives from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the Geriatric Medicines Society and Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT). Participants were encouraged to voice their questions, concerns and recommendations about medications. The main concern expressed by both patients and carers from the workshop were (but are not limited to) formulation changes, MCA accessibility difficulties, interactions of different medicines, carers' concerns with the administration of medicines and not having enough knowledge of services provided by community pharmacists i.e. medicines use reviews (MURs) or new medicine

Education and public engagement in observatory operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabor, Pavel; Mayo, Louis; Zaritsky, Dennis

2016-07-01

Education and public engagement (EPE) is an essential part of astronomy's mission. New technologies, remote observing and robotic facilities are opening new possibilities for EPE. A number of projects (e.g., Telescopes In Education, MicroObservatory, Goldstone Apple Valley Radio Telescope and UNC's Skynet) have developed new infrastructure, a number of observatories (e.g., University of Arizona's "full-engagement initiative" towards its astronomy majors, Vatican Observatory's collaboration with high-schools) have dedicated their resources to practical instruction and EPE. Some of the facilities are purpose built, others are legacy telescopes upgraded for remote or automated observing. Networking among institutions is most beneficial for EPE, and its implementation ranges from informal agreements between colleagues to advanced software packages with web interfaces. The deliverables range from reduced data to time and hands-on instruction while operating a telescope. EPE represents a set of tasks and challenges which is distinct from research applications of the new astronomical facilities and operation modes. In this paper we examine the experience with several EPE projects, and some lessons and challenges for observatory operation.

An Educational Intervention to Train Professional Nurses in Promoting Patient Engagement: A Pilot Feasibility Study.

PubMed

Barello, Serena; Graffigna, Guendalina; Pitacco, Giuliana; Mislej, Maila; Cortale, Maurizio; Provenzi, Livio

2016-01-01

Introduction: Growing evidence recognizes that patients who are motivated to take an active role in their care can experience a range of health benefits and reduced healthcare costs. Nurses play a critical role in the effort to make patients fully engaged in their disease management. Trainings devoted to increase nurses' skills and knowledge to assess and promote patient engagement are today a medical education priority. To address this goal, we developed a program of nurse education training in patient engagement strategies (NET-PES). This paper presents pilot feasibility study and preliminary participants outcomes for NET-PES. Methods: This is a pilot feasibility study of a 2-session program on patient engagement designed to improve professional nurses' ability to engage chronic patients in their medical journey; the training mainly focused on passing patient engagement assessment skills to clinicians as a crucial mean to improve care experience. A pre-post pilot evaluation of NET-PES included 46 nurses working with chronic conditions. A course specific competence test has been developed and validated to measure patient engagement skills. The design included self-report questionnaire completed before and after the training for evaluation purposes. Participants met in a large group for didactic presentations and then they were split into small groups in which they used role-play and case discussion to reflect upon the value of patient engagement measurement in relation to difficult cases from own practice. Results: Forty-six nurses participated in the training program. The satisfaction questionnaire showed that the program met the educational objectives and was considered to be useful and relevant by the participants. Results demonstrated changes on clinicians' attitudes and skills in promoting engagement. Moreover, practitioners demonstrated increases on confidence regarding their ability to support their patients' engagement in the care process. Conclusions

An Educational Intervention to Train Professional Nurses in Promoting Patient Engagement: A Pilot Feasibility Study

PubMed Central

Barello, Serena; Graffigna, Guendalina; Pitacco, Giuliana; Mislej, Maila; Cortale, Maurizio; Provenzi, Livio

2017-01-01

Introduction: Growing evidence recognizes that patients who are motivated to take an active role in their care can experience a range of health benefits and reduced healthcare costs. Nurses play a critical role in the effort to make patients fully engaged in their disease management. Trainings devoted to increase nurses' skills and knowledge to assess and promote patient engagement are today a medical education priority. To address this goal, we developed a program of nurse education training in patient engagement strategies (NET-PES). This paper presents pilot feasibility study and preliminary participants outcomes for NET-PES. Methods: This is a pilot feasibility study of a 2-session program on patient engagement designed to improve professional nurses' ability to engage chronic patients in their medical journey; the training mainly focused on passing patient engagement assessment skills to clinicians as a crucial mean to improve care experience. A pre-post pilot evaluation of NET-PES included 46 nurses working with chronic conditions. A course specific competence test has been developed and validated to measure patient engagement skills. The design included self-report questionnaire completed before and after the training for evaluation purposes. Participants met in a large group for didactic presentations and then they were split into small groups in which they used role-play and case discussion to reflect upon the value of patient engagement measurement in relation to difficult cases from own practice. Results: Forty-six nurses participated in the training program. The satisfaction questionnaire showed that the program met the educational objectives and was considered to be useful and relevant by the participants. Results demonstrated changes on clinicians' attitudes and skills in promoting engagement. Moreover, practitioners demonstrated increases on confidence regarding their ability to support their patients' engagement in the care process. Conclusions

Promoting Engagement: Using Species Action Plans to Bring Together Students and Conservation Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Graham W.; Turnbull, Shona; Spencer, James

2008-01-01

We describe an exercise, the production of a species action plan, which utilises components of both transmission mode and experiential learning. This exercise brings together students and a professional role model to promote a stronger engagement with aspects of local biodiversity management. We outline perceived benefits and outcomes of the…

Assessing user engagement in a health promotion website using social networking.

PubMed

Tague, Rhys; Maeder, Anthony J; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Kolt, Gregory S; Caperchione, Cristina M; Rosenkranz, Richard R; Savage, Trevor N; Van Itallie, Anetta

2014-01-01

Remote provision of supportive mechanisms for preventive health is a fast-growing area in eHealth. Web-based interventions have been suggested as an effective way to increase adoption and maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviours. This paper describes results obtained in the "Walk 2.0" trial to promote physical activity through a self-managed walking programme, using a social networking website that provided an online collaborative environment. Engagement of participants with the website was assessed by monitoring usage of the individual social networking functions (e.g. status post). The results demonstrate that users generally preferred contributing non-interactive public posts of information concerned with their individual physical activity levels, and more occasionally communicating privately to friends. Further analysis of topics within posts was done by classifying word usage frequencies. Results indicated that the dominant topics are well aligned with the social environment within which physical activity takes place. Topics centred around four main areas: description of the activity, timing of the activity, affective response to the activity, and context within which the activity occurs. These findings suggest that strong levels of user awareness and communication occur in the social networking setting, indicative of beneficial self-image and self-actualisation effects.

Using a Deliberative Exercise to Foster Public Engagement in Nanotechnology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Angela R.; Anderson, Ashley A.; Yeo, Sara K.; Greenberg, Andrew E.; Brossard, Dominique; Moore, John W.

2014-01-01

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology poised to benefit society both technically and socially, but as with any new advance, there is potential risk. This paper describes a novel deliberative exercise involving nanotechnology that engages the public in debate regarding the funding of nanotechnology-related research while also discussing…

NASA Astrophysics EPO Community: Increasing and Sustaining Youth and Public Engagement in STEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawton, B.; Smith, D. A.; Bartolone, L.; Meinke, B. K.; Schultz, G.; Manning, J.; NASA Astrophysics EPO Community

2015-11-01

The NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics Education and Public Outreach (EPO) community and Forum work together to capitalize on the cutting-edge discoveries of NASA Astrophysics missions to enable youth to engage directly in doing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) inside and outside of school. The NASA SMD Astrophysics EPO community has proven expertise in providing student opportunities that reinforce research skills; exhibits, multimedia shows, and visualizations that inspire and engage; professional development for informal educators; and partnerships that provide local, regional, and national reach. These mission- and grant-based EPO programs are uniquely poised to foster collaboration between scientists with content expertise and educators with pedagogy expertise. We present examples of how the NASA Astrophysics EPO community and Forum support youth and public engagement in STEM in these ways, including associated metrics and evaluation findings.

A Framework Approach to Evaluate Cross-Cultural Adaptation of Public Engagement Strategies for Radioactive Waste Management - 13430

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hermann, Laura

2013-07-01

The complex interplay of politics, economics and culture undermines attempts to define universal best practices for public engagement in the management of nuclear materials. In the international context, communicators must rely on careful adaptation and creative execution to make standard communication techniques succeed in their local communities. Nuclear professionals need an approach to assess and adapt culturally specific public engagement strategies to meet the demands of their particular political, economic and social structures. Using participant interviews and public sources, the Potomac Communications Group reviewed country-specific examples of nuclear-related communication efforts to provide insight into a proposed approach. The review consideredmore » a spectrum of cultural dimensions related to diversity, authority, conformity, proximity and time. Comparisons help to identify cross-cultural influences of various public engagement tactics and to inform a framework for communicators. While not prescriptive in its application, the framework offers a way for communicators to assess the salience of outreach tactics in specific situations. The approach can guide communicators to evaluate and tailor engagement strategies to achieve localized public outreach goals. (authors)« less

Does "Flipping" Promote Engagement?: A Comparison of a Traditional, Online, and Flipped Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Alison S.; Fedorek, Brian

2017-01-01

"Flipped" or inverted classrooms are designed to utilize class time for application and knowledge building, while course content is delivered through the use of online lectures and watched at home on the students' time. It is believed that flipped classrooms promote student engagement and a deeper understanding of the class material. The…

Levers for change: an investigation of how accreditation programmes can promote consumer engagement in healthcare.

PubMed

Hinchcliff, Reece; Greenfield, David; Hogden, Anne; Sarrami-Foroushani, Pooria; Travaglia, Joanne; Braithwaite, Jeffrey

2016-10-01

To examine how consumer engagement (CE) can be promoted through Australian accreditation programmes. A nation-wide qualitative study completed in 2012. All eight Australian States and Territories. Two-hundred and fifty-eight healthcare stakeholders from the acute, primary and aged care sectors. Forty-seven individual and group interviews were undertaken. Questions elicited views on the dimensions and utility of CE promotion by accreditation programmes. Healthcare stakeholders' views on the dimensions and utility of CE promotion by accreditation programmes. Four mechanisms of CE promotion were identified. Two involved requirements for health service organizations to meet CE-related standards related to consumer experience and satisfaction surveys, and consumer participation in organizational governance processes. Two mechanisms for promoting CE through accreditation processes were also identified, concerning consumer participation in the development and revision of standards, and the implementation of accreditation surveys. Accreditation programmes were viewed as important drivers of CE, yet concerns were raised regarding the organizational investments needed to meet programmes' requirements. Accreditation programmes use diverse mechanisms as levers for change to promote CE in healthcare. These mechanisms and their inter-relationships require careful consideration by accreditation agencies and health policymakers to maximize their potential benefits, while maintaining stakeholder engagement in programmes. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press in association with the International Society for Quality in Health Care. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Need for Systematic Identification of Stakeholders for Public Engagement with Environmental Research

EPA Science Inventory

Despite the increasing promotion of stakeholder engagement in science contributing to environmental decision making, the mechanisms for identifying which stakeholders should be included are rarely strategic or documented. When documented, many of these efforts use ad hoc and/or ...

Open science initiatives: challenges for public health promotion.

PubMed

Holzmeyer, Cheryl

2018-03-07

While academic open access, open data and open science initiatives have proliferated in recent years, facilitating new research resources for health promotion, open initiatives are not one-size-fits-all. Health research particularly illustrates how open initiatives may serve various interests and ends. Open initiatives not only foster new pathways of research access; they also discipline research in new ways, especially when associated with new regimes of research use and peer review, while participating in innovation ecosystems that often perpetuate existing systemic biases toward commercial biomedicine. Currently, many open initiatives are more oriented toward biomedical research paradigms than paradigms associated with public health promotion, such as social determinants of health research. Moreover, open initiatives too often dovetail with, rather than challenge, neoliberal policy paradigms. Such initiatives are unlikely to transform existing health research landscapes and redress health inequities. In this context, attunement to social determinants of health research and community-based local knowledge is vital to orient open initiatives toward public health promotion and health equity. Such an approach calls for discourses, norms and innovation ecosystems that contest neoliberal policy frameworks and foster upstream interventions to promote health, beyond biomedical paradigms. This analysis highlights challenges and possibilities for leveraging open initiatives on behalf of a wider range of health research stakeholders, while emphasizing public health promotion, health equity and social justice as benchmarks of transformation.

Increasing medical students' engagement in public health: case studies illustrating the potential role of online learning.

PubMed

Sheringham, J; Lyon, A; Jones, A; Strobl, J; Barratt, H

2016-09-01

The value of e-learning in medical education is widely recognized but there is little evidence of its value in teaching medical students about public health. Such evidence is needed because medical students' engagement with public health has been low. We present three recent case studies from UK medical schools to illustrate diverse ways in which online approaches can increase medical students' engagement with learning public health. A comparative case study approach was used applying quantitative and qualitative data to examine engagement in terms of uptake/use amongst eligible students, acceptability and perceived effectiveness using an analytic framework based on Seven Principles of Effective Teaching. Across the three case studies, most (67-85%) eligible students accessed online materials, and rated them more favourably than live lectures. Students particularly valued opportunities to use e-learning flexibly in terms of time and place. Online technologies offered new ways to consolidate learning of key public health concepts. Although students found contributing to online discussions challenging, it provided opportunities for students to explore concepts in depth and enabled students that were uncomfortable speaking in face-to-face discussions to participate. E-learning can be applied in diverse ways that increase medical student engagement with public health teaching. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Question of Conscientiousness and Religious Engagement in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bevan, Ryan

2011-01-01

In this paper, I examine the question of how to nurture and develop conscientiousness thinkers and future citizens of diverse liberal-democratic societies from the perspective of virtue epistemology (VE). More specifically, I examine this question in terms of how public schools might frame engagement with religious perspectives in the classroom. I…

Educational Cloud Services and the Mathematics Confidence, Affective Engagement, and Behavioral Engagement of Mathematics Education Students in Public University in Benue State, Nigeria

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iji, Clement Onwu; Abah, Joshua Abah; Anyor, Joseph Wuave

2018-01-01

This study investigated the impact of cloud services on mathematics education students' mathematics confidence, affective engagement, and behavioral engagement in public universities in Benue State, Nigeria. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. The instrument for the study was the researcher-developed Cloud Services Mathematics…

Community Engagement for Health Promotion: Reducing Injuries among Chinese People in New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tse, Samson; Laverack, Glenn; Nayar, Shoba; Foroughian, Shirin

2011-01-01

Objectives and Settings: A growing Asian population currently resides in New Zealand, yet under half of this population claim the support they are entitled to in the face of an accident and injury. This research is focused on identifying ways of effectively engaging the Chinese community in health-promotion programmes to prevent and/or reduce…

Public Engagement with the Lunar and Planetary Institute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaner, Andrew; Shupla, Christine; Smith Hackler, Amanda; Buxner, Sanlyn; Wenger, Matthew; Joseph, Emily C. S.

2016-10-01

The Lunar and Planetary Institute's (LPI) public engagement programs target audiences of all ages and backgrounds; in 2016 LPI has expanded its programs to reach wider, more diverse audiences. The status, resources, and findings of these programs, including evaluation results, will be discussed in this poster. LPI's Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series (CESS) is an annual public speaker series to engage the public in space science and exploration. Each thematic series includes four to five presentations held between September and May. Past series' titles have included "Science" on the Silver Screen, The Universe is Out to Get Us and What We Can (or Can't) Do About It, and A User's Guide to the Universe: You Live Here. Here's What You Need to Know. While the presentations are available online after the event, they are now being livestreamed to be accessible to a broader national, and international, audience. Sky Fest events, held four to five times a year, have science content themes and include several activities for children and their parents, night sky viewing through telescopes, and scientist presentations. Themes include both planetary and astronomy topics as well as planetary exploration topics (e.g., celebrating the launch or landing of a spacecraft). Elements of the Sky Fest program are being conducted in public libraries serving audiences underrepresented in STEM near LPI. These programs take place as part of existing hour-long programs in the library. During this hour, young people, typically 6-12 years old, move through three stations where they participate in hands-on activities. Like Sky Fest, these programs are thematic, centered on one over-arching topic such as the Moon or Mars. Beginning in Fall 2016, LPI will present programs at a revitalized park in downtown Houston. Facilities at this park will enable LPI to bring both the Sky Fest and CESS programs into the heart of Houston, which is one of the most diverse cities in the US and the world.

Workshop salutogenesis and the future of health promotion and public health.

PubMed

Lindström, Bengt

2018-02-01

This presentation is a synthesis of a workshop on Salutogenesis and the Future of Health Promotion and Public Health at the Nordic Health Promotion Research Conference in June 2016. A brief historical review of Public Health and Health Promotion development in a Nordic perspective is included. However, the main thrust of the article is to present how the salutogenic theory and approach could strengthen society's organised efforts to prevent disease, promote health and prolong life. A critical view based on existing evidence is maintained through the presentation that arrives at the conclusion it would be worthwhile to invest in effective theory driven approaches to the development of Public Health and Health Promotion in the future.

Improving Public Engagement With Climate Change: Five "Best Practice" Insights From Psychological Science.

PubMed

van der Linden, Sander; Maibach, Edward; Leiserowitz, Anthony

2015-11-01

Despite being one of the most important societal challenges of the 21st century, public engagement with climate change currently remains low in the United States. Mounting evidence from across the behavioral sciences has found that most people regard climate change as a nonurgent and psychologically distant risk-spatially, temporally, and socially-which has led to deferred public decision making about mitigation and adaptation responses. In this article, we advance five simple but important "best practice" insights from psychological science that can help governments improve public policymaking about climate change. Particularly, instead of a future, distant, global, nonpersonal, and analytical risk that is often framed as an overt loss for society, we argue that policymakers should (a) emphasize climate change as a present, local, and personal risk; (b) facilitate more affective and experiential engagement; (c) leverage relevant social group norms; (d) frame policy solutions in terms of what can be gained from immediate action; and (e) appeal to intrinsically valued long-term environmental goals and outcomes. With practical examples we illustrate how these key psychological principles can be applied to support societal engagement and climate change policymaking. © The Author(s) 2015.

Transforming a School Learning Exercise into a Public Engagement Event: "The Good, the Bad and the Algae"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Redfern, James; Burdass, Dariel; Verran, Joanna

2013-01-01

School science laboratory classes and hands-on public engagement activities share many common aims and objectives in terms of science learning and literacy. This article describes the development and evaluation of a microbiology public engagement activity, "The Good, the Bad and the Algae", from a school laboratory activity. The school…

Solar public engagement: the prospective study on FELDA community in Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jamiah Tun Jamil, Siti; Azfahani Ahmad, Nur

2017-05-01

Malaysia Energy Outlook 2016 has highlighted that Malaysia's electricity generation mix has always been highly dependent on fossil fuels. There is a concern on energy security for Malaysia recently, since the depletion of fossil fuel occurs and its effect increases the price of electricity tariff. Nevertheless, the energy demand continues to increase, which make the non-fossil renewable energy sources is back on demand. Malaysia's highest potential for renewable energy comes from solar energy and the large roofs of rural houses offer potential to contribute solar electricity for the people. Indeed, the engagement of solar energy to the public is very important in allowing this energy to be accepted by the locals. The paper will review the related literature on public engagement for solar energy project. This paper also tries to prospect the potential of implementing solar electricity for a well-known rural organization in Malaysia, known as FELDA.

Understanding an Emerging Field of Scholarship: Toward a Research Agenda for Engaged, Public Scholarship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Giles, Dwight E., Jr.

2016-01-01

The theme of both "Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement" volume 12 issues 1 and 2 collectively, is "Faculty Motivation for Engagement in Public Scholarship." Herein Dwight Giles, Jr. touches upon each article in issue 2, specifically, noting the variability of the central terminology that is used across authors…

A community engaged curriculum for public service psychiatry fellowship training.

PubMed

Sowers, Wesley; Marin, Robert

2014-01-01

Transforming the mental health system into a recovery oriented, integrated system of care requires a psychiatric work force that understands the relationship between recovery processes and community living. Fellowship programs in public and community psychiatry contribute to this transformation by educating psychiatrists about recovery, system dynamics, leadership, effective administration and community involvement. This paper describes a novel approach to fellowship programming that accomplishes these aims through an organizational strategy that emphasizes community engagement. After describing the administrative background for the program, we describe how the content curriculum and teaching process focus on the engagement of community members-both service users and service providers-as participating faculty. The faculty includes over 100 consumers, family members, advocacy group representatives, clinicians, and administrators. We present evaluation data obtained from 45 of the 100 community and university faculty who participated in the first 2 years' of the fellowship and conclude with a critique and recommendations for further progress in community engaged fellowship training.

Community Health Workers Promote Civic Engagement and Organizational Capacity to Impact Policy.

PubMed

Sabo, Samantha; Flores, Melissa; Wennerstrom, Ashley; Bell, Melanie L; Verdugo, Lorena; Carvajal, Scott; Ingram, Maia

2017-12-01

Community health workers (CHW) have historically served to link structurally vulnerable populations to broad support systems. Emerging evidence suggests that CHWs engage in various forms of advocacy to promote policy and systems change. We assessed the impact of CHW community advocacy on community change, defined as civic engagement, organizational capacity and policy and systems change. Data are drawn from the 2014 National Community Health Worker Advocacy Survey (N = 1776) aimed to identify the state of the CHW profession, and their impact on health disparities through community advocacy and policy engagement. Our primary analysis used multiple linear regression to assess the association between CHW advocacy and community change. As predicted, there was a significant, positive association between CHW advocacy and change in community conditions. Additionally, both adjusted and sensitivity models had similar standardized beta estimates for advocacy, and adjusted R 2 statistics. CHW advocacy predicts positive change in community conditions and further advances the CHW Community Advocacy Framework designed to support and monitor CHW community advocacy to reduce health disparities through advocacy and policy change.

Engaged Scholarship and Gerontological Program Relevance: Opportunities and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Jim; McDonald, Maria

2012-01-01

Engaged scholarship promotes contribution to the academic body of knowledge through equal partnership between academic scholars and community representatives in education, research, and public service or intervention. Such partnerships can expand our notions of service learning and applied research. In this article, the authors discuss the…

Engaging the public in the nascent era of gravitational-wave astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendry, Martin A.

2015-08-01

Within the next few years a global network of ground-based laser interferometers will become fully operational. These ultra-sensitive instruments are confidently expected to directly detect gravitational waves from astrophysical sources before the end of the decade. In anticipation of opening this entirely new window on the Universe, the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) Scientific Collaboration has recently developed a substantive program of education and public outreach activities that includes exhibitions, documentary films, social media and interactive games - as well as more traditional modes of science communication such as schools and public lectures.As the gravitational wave 'detection era' unfolds over the next decade, it will present exciting challenges for future public engagement by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and by other gravitational-wave astronomy collaborations around the world. Perhaps the most interesting opportunities will be in the area of citizen science, building upon the infrastructure already being developed through e.g. the LIGO Open Science Center (see arXiv:1410.4839) and the remarkable success of the Einstein@Home project (www.einsteinathome.org).In this presentation I will give an overview of the LSC education and public outreach program, highlighting its goals, major successes and future strategy - particularly in relation to the release of future LIGO and other gravitational wave datasets to the scientific community and to the public, and the opportunities this will present for directly engaging citizen scientists in this exciting new field of observational astronomy.

How Are UK Academics Engaging the Public with Their Research? A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chikoore, Lesley; Probets, Steve; Fry, Jenny; Creaser, Claire

2016-01-01

This paper takes a cross-disciplinary perspective in examining the views and practices of public engagement with research by UK academics. Using a mixed method approach consisting of a survey questionnaire and interviews, the paper identifies the range of audience groups that can potentially be engaged with by academics, and shows that some…

Investigating Public trust in Expert Knowledge: Narrative, Ethics, and Engagement.

PubMed

Camporesi, Silvia; Vaccarella, Maria; Davis, Mark

2017-03-01

"Public Trust in Expert Knowledge: Narrative, Ethics, and Engagement" examines the social, cultural, and ethical ramifications of changing public trust in the expert biomedical knowledge systems of emergent and complex global societies. This symposium was conceived as an interdisciplinary project, drawing on bioethics, the social sciences, and the medical humanities. We settled on public trust as a topic for our work together because its problematization cuts across our fields and substantive research interests. For us, trust is simultaneously a matter of ethics, social relations, and the cultural organization of meaning. We share a commitment to narrative inquiry across our fields of expertise in the bioethics of transformative health technologies, public communications on health threats, and narrative medicine. The contributions to this symposium have applied, in different ways and with different effects, this interdisciplinary mode of inquiry, supplying new reflections on public trust, expertise, and biomedical knowledge.

Engaging the Public to Identify Opportunities to Improve Critical Care: A Qualitative Analysis of an Open Community Forum.

PubMed

Potestio, Melissa L; Boyd, Jamie M; Bagshaw, Sean M; Heyland, Daren; Oxland, Peter; Doig, Christopher J; Zygun, Dave; Stelfox, Henry T

2015-01-01

To engage the public to understand how to improve the care of critically ill patients. A qualitative content analysis of an open community forum (Café Scientifique). Public venue in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Members of the general public including patients, families of patients, health care providers, and members of the community at large. A panel of researchers, decision-makers, and a family member led a Café Scientifique, an informal dialogue between the populace and experts, over three-hours to engage the public to understand how to improve the care of critically ill patients. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. The inductive analysis occurred in three phases: coding, categorizing, and developing themes. Thirty-eight members of the public (former ICU patients, family members of patients, providers, community members) attended. Participants focused the discussion and provided concrete suggestions for improvement around communication (family as surrogate voice, timing of conversations, decision tools) and provider well-being and engagement, as opposed to medical interventions in critical care. Café participants believe patient and family centered care is important to ensure high-quality care in the ICU. A Café Scientifique is a valuable forum to engage the public to contribute to priority setting areas for research in critical care, as well as a platform to share lived experience. Research stakeholders including health care organizations, governments, and funding organizations should provide more opportunities for the public to engage in meaningful conversations about how to best improve healthcare.

My Space- a collaboration between Arts & Science to create a suite of informal interactive public engagement initiatives.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaw, Niamh, , Dr.; McSweeney, Clair; Smith, Niall, , Dr.; O'Neill, Stephanie; Foley, Cathy; Crawley, Joanna; Phelan, Ronan; Colley, Dan; Henderson, Clare; Conroy, Lorraine

2015-04-01

A suite of informal interactive public engagement initiatives, entitled 'MySpace' was created, to promote the importance of Earth science and Space exploration, to ignite curiosity and discover new and engaging platforms for science in the Arts & in STEM Education, and to increase awareness of careers in Ireland's Space and Earth Science industries. Site visits to research centres in Ireland & abroad, interviews with scientists, engineers, and former astronauts were conducted over a 6 month period. A suite of performance pieces emerged from this development phase, based on Dr. Shaw's personal documented journey and the dissemination of her research. These included: 1. 'To Space'- A live multimedia theatre performance aimed at the general public & young adult. Initially presented as a 'Work In Progress' event at The Festival of Curiosity, the full theatre show 'To Space' premiered at Science Gallery, Dublin as part of Tiger Dublin Fringe Arts Festival. Response to the piece was very strong, indicated by audience response, box office sales and theatre reviews in national press and online. A national and international tour is in place for 2015. To Space was performed a total of 10 times and was seen by 680 audiences. 2. An adapted piece for 13-17 year old students -'ToSpace for Secondary Schools'- to increase awareness of Ireland's involvement in Space Exploration & to encourage school leavers to dream big. This show toured nationally as part of World Space week and Science week events in conjunction with ESERO Ireland, CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory, Cork, Armagh Planetarium & Dunsink Observatory. It was performed 12 times and was seen by 570 students. 3. 'My Place in Space', created for families from the very old (60 +) to the very young (3yrs +), this highly interactive workshop highlighted the appeal of science through the wonders of our planet and its place in Space. Presented at Festival of Curiosity, the Mallow Science Fair and at Science week 2014, this

Strategies to improve engagement of 'hard to reach' older people in research on health promotion: a systematic review.

PubMed

Liljas, Ann E M; Walters, Kate; Jovicic, Ana; Iliffe, Steve; Manthorpe, Jill; Goodman, Claire; Kharicha, Kalpa

2017-04-21

This systematic review aimed to identify facilitators, barriers and strategies for engaging 'hard to reach' older people in research on health promotion; the oldest old (≥80 years), older people from black and minority ethnic groups (BME) and older people living in deprived areas. Eight databases were searched to identify eligible studies using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods. Using elements of narrative synthesis, engagement strategies, and reported facilitators and barriers were identified, tabulated and analysed thematically for each of the three groups of older people. Twenty-three studies (3 with oldest-old, 16 with BME older people, 2 within deprived areas, 1 with both oldest-old and BME, 1 with both BME and deprived areas) were included. Methods included 10 quantitative studies (of which 1 was an RCT), 12 qualitative studies and one mixed-methods study. Facilitators for engaging the oldest old included gaining family support and having flexible sessions. Facilitators for BME groups included building trust through known professionals/community leaders, targeting personal interests, and addressing ethnic and cultural characteristics. Among older people in deprived areas, facilitators for engagement included encouragement by peers and providing refreshments. Across all groups, barriers for engagement were deteriorating health, having other priorities and lack of transport/inaccessibility. Feeling too tired and lacking support from family members were additional barriers for the oldest old. Similarly, feeling too tired and too old to participate in research on health promotion were reported by BME groups. Barriers for BME groups included lack of motivation and self-confidence, and cultural and language differences. Barriers identified in deprived areas included use of written recruitment materials. Strategies to successfully engage with the oldest old included home visits and professionals securing consent if needed. Strategies to engage

E-Cigarette Marketing and Communication: How E-Cigarette Companies Market E-Cigarettes and the Public Engages with E-cigarette Information.

PubMed

Collins, Lauren; Glasser, Allison M; Abudayyeh, Haneen; Pearson, Jennifer L; Villanti, Andrea C

2018-01-05

Given the lack of regulation on marketing of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) in the U.S. and the increasing exchange of e-cigarette-related information online, it is critical to understand how e-cigarette companies market e-cigarettes and how the public engages with e-cigarette information. Results are from a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature on e-cigarettes via a PubMed search through June 1, 2017. Search terms included: "e-cigarette*" OR "electronic cigarette" OR "electronic cigarettes" OR "electronic nicotine delivery" OR "vape" OR "vaping." Experimental studies, quasi-experimental studies, observational studies, qualitative studies, and mixed methods studies providing empirical findings on e-cigarette marketing and communication (i.e., non-marketing communication in the public) were included. One hundred twenty-four publications on e-cigarette marketing and communication were identified. They covered topics including e-cigarette advertisement claims/promotions and exposure/receptivity, the effect of e-cigarette advertisements on e-cigarette and cigarette use, public engagement with e-cigarette information, and the public's portrayal of e-cigarettes. Studies show increases in e-cigarette marketing expenditures and online engagement through social media over time, that e-cigarettes are often framed as an alternative to combustible cigarettes, and that e-cigarette advertisement exposure may be associated with e-cigarette trial in adolescents and young adults. Few studies examine the effects of e-cigarette marketing on perceptions and e-cigarette and cigarette use. Evidence suggests that exposure to e-cigarette advertisements affects perceptions and trial of e-cigarettes, but there is no evidence that exposure affects cigarette use. No studies examined how exposure to e-cigarette communication, particularly misleading or inaccurate information, impacts e-cigarette and tobacco use behaviors. The present article provides a comprehensive review of e

Engaging the Public to Identify Opportunities to Improve Critical Care: A Qualitative Analysis of an Open Community Forum

PubMed Central

Potestio, Melissa L.; Boyd, Jamie M.; Bagshaw, Sean M.; Heyland, Daren; Oxland, Peter; Doig, Christopher J.; Zygun, Dave; Stelfox, Henry T.

2015-01-01

Objective To engage the public to understand how to improve the care of critically ill patients. Design A qualitative content analysis of an open community forum (Café Scientifique). Setting Public venue in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Participants Members of the general public including patients, families of patients, health care providers, and members of the community at large. Methods A panel of researchers, decision-makers, and a family member led a Café Scientifique, an informal dialogue between the populace and experts, over three-hours to engage the public to understand how to improve the care of critically ill patients. Conventional qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. The inductive analysis occurred in three phases: coding, categorizing, and developing themes. Results Thirty-eight members of the public (former ICU patients, family members of patients, providers, community members) attended. Participants focused the discussion and provided concrete suggestions for improvement around communication (family as surrogate voice, timing of conversations, decision tools) and provider well-being and engagement, as opposed to medical interventions in critical care. Conclusions Café participants believe patient and family centered care is important to ensure high-quality care in the ICU. A Café Scientifique is a valuable forum to engage the public to contribute to priority setting areas for research in critical care, as well as a platform to share lived experience. Research stakeholders including health care organizations, governments, and funding organizations should provide more opportunities for the public to engage in meaningful conversations about how to best improve healthcare. PMID:26580406

Healthy aging persons and their brains: promoting resilience through creative engagement.

PubMed

McFadden, Susan H; Basting, Anne D

2010-02-01

Creative engagement, as an expression of and a support for resilience, may have a neuroprotective effect among older adults, contributing to retention of cognitive capacity. Recent research on creative activities shows that they strengthen social networks and give persons a sense of control; both outcomes have been associated with brain health. The authors cite evidence suggesting that positive social interactions can nurture resilience and creative engagement among older persons, including those living with dementia. The motivational, attentional, affective, and social components of creative activities combine to offer older persons meaningful opportunities to express and strengthen their resilience, regardless of their cognitive status, despite the biopsychosocial challenges of aging. The article addresses implications for future research, clinical practice, and public policy, and suggests how gaps in current research on resilience and creativity might be addressed.

Promoting Engagement With a Digital Health Intervention (HeLP-Diabetes) Using Email and Text Message Prompts: Mixed-Methods Study

PubMed Central

Modrow, Kerstin; Hamilton, Fiona; Pal, Kingshuk; Ross, Jamie

2017-01-01

Background Engagement with digital health interventions (DHIs) may be regarded as a prerequisite for the intervention to achieve positive health or behavior change outcomes. One method employed to promote engagement is the use of prompts such as emails and text messages. However, little is known about the characteristics of prompts that promote engagement. This study explored the association between the content and delivery mode of prompts and the users’ engagement with HeLP-Diabetes (Healthy Living for People with type 2 Diabetes), a DHI that aimed to promote self-management in adults with type 2 diabetes. Objective The objective of this study was to identify the characteristics of prompts, specifically the content and delivery mode, which were associated with increased engagement. Methods This was a mixed-methods study. Email and text message prompts were sent to the registered users of HeLP-Diabetes. Use of the intervention was recorded and examined to identify which email and text message prompts were associated with subsequent visits to the DHI. Characteristics of prompts that were identified as particularly effective or ineffective were explored through think-aloud interviews with the participants. Results Of a total of 39 email prompts, 49% (19/39) prompts showed a significant association with subsequent visits to the DHI. However, none of the text message prompts were associated with subsequent visits to the DHI. Furthermore, think-aloud interviews were carried out with 6 experienced participants with type 2 diabetes. The findings suggest that these participants preferred email prompts that were clear, relatively short, and empowering; used nondirective advice; included health professional references; were visually appealing; and contained news and updates. Conclusions The findings of this study contribute to the existing evidence supporting the role of email prompts in promoting and maintaining engagement with DHIs. This study described the content of

Moving from trust to trustworthiness: Experiences of public engagement in the Scottish Health Informatics Programme

PubMed Central

Aitken, Mhairi; Cunningham-Burley, Sarah; Pagliari, Claudia

2016-01-01

The Scottish Health Informatics Programme (SHIP) was a Scotland-wide research programme exploring ways of collecting, managing and analysing electronic patient records for health research. As part of the SHIP public engagement work stream, a series of eight focus groups and a stakeholder workshop were conducted to explore perceptions of the role, relevance and functions of trust (or trustworthiness) in relation to research practices. The findings demonstrate that the public’s relationships of trust and/or mistrust in science and research are not straightforward. This paper aims to move beyond simple descriptions of whether publics trust researchers, or in whom members of the public place their trust, and to explore more fully the bases of public trust/mistrust in science, what trust implies and equally what it means for research/researchers to be trustworthy. This has important implications for public engagement in interdisciplinary projects. PMID:28066123

Public health accreditation and metrics for ethics: a case study on environmental health and community engagement.

PubMed

Bernheim, Ruth Gaare; Stefanak, Matthew; Brandenburg, Terry; Pannone, Aaron; Melnick, Alan

2013-01-01

As public health departments around the country undergo accreditation using the Public Health Accreditation Board standards, the process provides a new opportunity to integrate ethics metrics into day-to-day public health practice. While the accreditation standards do not explicitly address ethics, ethical tools and considerations can enrich the accreditation process by helping health departments and their communities understand what ethical principles underlie the accreditation standards and how to use metrics based on these ethical principles to support decision making in public health practice. We provide a crosswalk between a public health essential service, Public Health Accreditation Board community engagement domain standards, and the relevant ethical principles in the Public Health Code of Ethics (Code). A case study illustrates how the accreditation standards and the ethical principles in the Code together can enhance the practice of engaging the community in decision making in the local health department.

A citizen science campaign encouraging urban forest professionals to engage the public in the collection of tree phenological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, K. C.

2009-12-01

There are growing concerns among leading national and local organizations about American scientific literacy, fundamental understanding of science, and the value of scientific research. These organizations, including the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, have been at the forefront in addressing these concerns. In an effort to improve scientific literacy, research conducted by Sam Droege, among others, suggested using citizen science and public participation as instrumental methods to engage the public. Urban Tree Phenology (UTP), a project of Project BudBurst and the USDA Forest Service, is one such citizen science program that sought to engage the public, including the professionals and amateurs among them, in collecting urban tree phenophase data. UTP participants monitored and reported the stages of phenological events, such as First Leaf and Leaf Fall, of 24 native and cultivated urban tree species, using the steps shown in Figure 1. Data collected will support the long-term research of plant ecology, climate change, public health, urban heat islands on tree physiology, and urban tree management. UTP, using the architectures of online learning, has developed two instructional tutorials to assist data collection (Phase 1). The instructional tutorials were published online, in print and PowerPoint formats, at www.UrbanTreePhenology.com. By completing these tutorials, participants will gain the skills necessary to provide urban tree phenological data to national research databases via the Internet. Phase 2 will test and review the instructional materials developed, and in Phase 3, the administrators of UTP will distribute promotional materials to national research organizations and to participants of the Project BudBurst national citizen science campaign.

Reach, engagement, and effectiveness: a systematic review of evaluation methodologies used in health promotion via social networking sites.

PubMed

Lim, Megan S C; Wright, Cassandra J C; Carrotte, Elise R; Pedrana, Alisa E

2016-02-01

Issue addressed Social networking sites (SNS) are increasingly popular platforms for health promotion. Advancements in SNS health promotion require quality evidence; however, interventions are often not formally evaluated. This study aims to describe evaluation practices used in SNS health promotion. Methods A systematic review was undertaken of Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, Communication and Mass Media Complete, and Cochrane Library databases. Articles published between 2006 and 2013 describing any health promotion intervention delivered using SNS were included. Results Forty-seven studies were included. There were two main evaluation approaches: closed designs (n=23), which used traditional research designs and formal recruitment procedures; and open designs (n=19), which evaluated the intervention in a real-world setting, allowing unknown SNS users to interact with the content without enrolling in research. Closed designs were unable to assess reach and engagement beyond their research sample. Open designs often relied on weaker study designs with no use of objective outcome measures and yielded low response rates. Conclusions Barriers to evaluation included low participation rates, high attrition, unknown representativeness and lack of comparison groups. Acceptability was typically assessed among those engaged with the intervention, with limited population data available to accurately assess intervention reach. Few studies were able to assess uptake of the intervention in a real-life setting while simultaneously assessing effectiveness of interventions with research rigour. So what? Through use of quasi-experimental or well designed before-after evaluations, in combination with detailed engagement metrics, it is possible to balance assessment of effectiveness and reach to evaluate SNS health promotion.

Message Design and Audience Engagement with Tobacco Prevention Posts on Social Media.

PubMed

Strekalova, Yulia A; Damiani, Rachel E

2018-06-01

Understanding the appropriate medium to communicate health promotion messages is vital for improving personal and societal health. As increasingly more people utilize social media for health information, public health practitioners use these platforms to engage an existing audience in health promotion messages. In this study, the relational framing theory was used as a lens for studying how message framing may influence social media audience engagement. Specifically, we assessed how posts from Tobacco Free Florida's Facebook page were framed as either dominant-submissive or affiliate-disaffiliate to an implied audience of either smokers, nonsmokers, active quitters, or a mixed audience, and the extent to which a direct call for engagement, in terms of a request to comment, like, or share the post, was used for audience engagement. A three-way interaction for the level of engagement through comments was significant, F(3217) = 7.11, p < .001, η p 2  = .09, and showed that framing, a call for engagement, and varying implied audience choice played a role in audience engagement with smoking cessation posts on social media. Implied audiences of Tobacco Free Florida's posts included smokers, those who are trying to quit, and nonsmokers as health promotion can be targeted at the individual's health, social support infrastructure, or the well-being of the society, and implications for strategic message design and audience targeting are discussed.

Promoting a Culture of Engaged Scholarship and Mentoring Junior Faculty in the Reappointment, Tenure, and Promotion Process at a "Teaching First" University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boehm, Lisa Krissoff; Larrivee, Linda S.

2016-01-01

This paper analyzes the processes and outcomes involved with mentoring junior faculty in the reappointment, promotion, and tenure (RPT) process at a comprehensive state university and creating a culture supportive of engaged research. Although the university in this case study is governed by a collective bargaining agreement that prohibits the…

Linking research, education and public engagement in geoscience: Leadership and strategic partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chambers, L. H.

2017-12-01

Cloud and aerosol feedbacks remain the largest source of uncertainty in understanding and predicting Earth's climate (IPCC, 2013), and are the focus of multiple ongoing research studies. Clouds are a challenge because of their extreme variability and diversity. This is also what makes them interesting to people. Clouds may be the only essential climate variable with an Appreciation Society (https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/). As a result, clouds led me into a multi-decade effort to engage a wider public in observing and understanding our planet. A series of experiences in the mid-1990's led to a meeting with educators that resulted in the creation of the Students' Cloud Observations On-Line Project (S'COOL), which I directed for about 2 decades, and which engaged students around the world in ground truth observation and data analysis for the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) satellite instruments. Beginning around 2003, I developed a contrail observation protocol for the GLOBE Program to serve a similar function for additional audiences. Starting in 2004, I worked with an interdisciplinary team to launch the MY NASA DATA Project, an effort to make the vast trove of NASA Earth Science data actually usable in K-12 classrooms and student projects. Later I gained key experiences around strategic partnerships as I worked from 2008 onward with tri-agency partners at NOAA and NSF to integrate activities around climate change education. Currently I serve as Program Scientist for Education & Communication in the Earth Science Division at NASA, where I have the privilege to oversee and guide these and related activities in education and public engagement around Earth system science. As someone who completed advanced degrees in aerospace engineering without ever taking an Earth science class, this ongoing engagement is very important to me. Understanding Earth processes should be integral to how all people choose to live on our planet. In my experience

Relationships among perceived career support, affective commitment, and work engagement.

PubMed

Poon, June M L

2013-01-01

This study sought to test the predictive effects of perceived career support and affective commitment on work engagement. It was hypothesized that perceived career support would relate positively to work engagement and this relationship would be transmitted through affective commitment. Survey data were collected from 115 full-time employees enrolled as part-time graduate students in a large public university in Malaysia. Multiple regression analysis yielded results indicating that the relationship between perceived career support and work engagement was mediated by affective commitment. This finding suggests that employers can promote employee work engagement by ensuring employees perceive their organization to be supportive of their career and increasing employees' level of affective commitment.

Footprints of Fascination: Digital Traces of Public Engagement with Particle Physics on CERN's Social Media Platforms.

PubMed

Kahle, Kate; Sharon, Aviv J; Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet

2016-01-01

Although the scientific community increasingly recognizes that its communication with the public may shape civic engagement with science, few studies have characterized how this communication occurs online. Social media plays a growing role in this engagement, yet it is not known if or how different platforms support different types of engagement. This study sets out to explore how users engage with science communication items on different platforms of social media, and what are the characteristics of the items that tend to attract large numbers of user interactions. Here, user interactions with almost identical items on five of CERN's social media platforms were quantitatively compared over an eight-week period, including likes, comments, shares, click-throughs, and time spent on CERN's site. The most popular items were qualitatively analyzed for content features. Findings indicate that as audience size of a social media platform grows, the total rate of engagement with content tends to grow as well. However, per user, engagement tends to decline with audience size. Across all platforms, similar topics tend to consistently receive high engagement. In particular, awe-inspiring imagery tends to frequently attract high engagement across platforms, independent of newsworthiness. To our knowledge, this study provides the first cross-platform characterization of public engagement with science on social media. Findings, although focused on particle physics, have a multidisciplinary nature; they may serve to benchmark social media analytics for assessing science communication activities in various domains. Evidence-based suggestions for practitioners are also offered.

Footprints of Fascination: Digital Traces of Public Engagement with Particle Physics on CERN's Social Media Platforms

PubMed Central

Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet

2016-01-01

Although the scientific community increasingly recognizes that its communication with the public may shape civic engagement with science, few studies have characterized how this communication occurs online. Social media plays a growing role in this engagement, yet it is not known if or how different platforms support different types of engagement. This study sets out to explore how users engage with science communication items on different platforms of social media, and what are the characteristics of the items that tend to attract large numbers of user interactions. Here, user interactions with almost identical items on five of CERN's social media platforms were quantitatively compared over an eight-week period, including likes, comments, shares, click-throughs, and time spent on CERN's site. The most popular items were qualitatively analyzed for content features. Findings indicate that as audience size of a social media platform grows, the total rate of engagement with content tends to grow as well. However, per user, engagement tends to decline with audience size. Across all platforms, similar topics tend to consistently receive high engagement. In particular, awe-inspiring imagery tends to frequently attract high engagement across platforms, independent of newsworthiness. To our knowledge, this study provides the first cross-platform characterization of public engagement with science on social media. Findings, although focused on particle physics, have a multidisciplinary nature; they may serve to benchmark social media analytics for assessing science communication activities in various domains. Evidence-based suggestions for practitioners are also offered. PMID:27232498

Structured approaches to promote patient and family engagement in treatment in acute care hospital settings: protocol for a systematic scoping review.

PubMed

Goodridge, Donna; Henry, Chrysanthus; Watson, Erin; McDonald, Meghan; New, Lucia; Harrison, Elizabeth L; Scharf, Murray; Penz, Erika; Campbell, Steve; Rotter, Thomas

2018-02-26

While effective engagement of patients and families in treatment is increasingly viewed as a priority for many healthcare systems, much remains to be learned about the nature and outcomes of approaches that seek to accomplish this goal in the acute care hospital setting. Wide variability in the implementation of practices designed to promote patient and family engagement in hospitals has been noted. Approaches aimed at promoting patient and family engagement in treatment share the over-arching goal of changing behaviors of patients, families, and healthcare providers and possibly administrators. Behavior change techniques (BCTs) can be a key element of patient and family engagement approaches. This scoping review will contribute to the development of an evidence base detailing that the BCTs have potential to be effective in patient and family engagement interventions. The specific objectives of this review are to (a) identify and classify approaches used in acute care hospitals to engage patient and families in treatment according to the behavior change technique taxonomy; and (b) evaluate and synthesize the outcomes for these approaches for patients and families, healthcare providers, and health administrators/funders. This systematic scoping review will allow us to determine the extent, range, and nature of research activity related to initiatives designed to promote patient and family engagement in care. A comprehensive electronic literature search will be conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. Studies will be included if they report on outcomes of a structured or systematic approach to the promotion of adult inpatient and family engagement in treatment in acute care settings. Studies will be selected in a two-stage screening process (title and abstract; full text) and quality will be assessed using the mixed methods assessment tool. Data extraction will include narrative descriptions of the intervention and classification of the behavior change techniques

The Role of Research Centers in Fulfilling the Community Engagement Mission of Public Research Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toof, Robin A.

2012-01-01

Institutions of higher education are seen by the public as having unique resources to identify and solve complex societal problems. Public universities, in particular, were originally established to be of service to communities and the nation to advance public good and solve problems. However, community engagement is not an easy task for…

An Examination of Five Benchmarks of Student Engagement for Commuter Students Enrolled at an Urban Public University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galladian, Carol

2013-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative ex post facto study was to provide a description of the student engagement of commuter students attending a large urban public university located in a mid-Atlantic state using the five National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) benchmarks of student engagement. In addition, the study examined the relationship…

Colloquium paper: engaging the public in biodiversity issues.

PubMed

Novacek, Michael J

2008-08-12

To engage people in biodiversity and other environmental issues, one must provide the opportunity for enhanced understanding that empowers individuals to make choices and take action based on sound science and reliable recommendations. To this end, we must acknowledge some real challenges. Recent surveys show that, despite growing public concern, environmental issues still rank below many other problems, such as terrorism, health care, the economy, and (in the U.S.) family values. Moreover, much of the recent upswing in interest in the environment is due to the marked shift in attention to global warming away from other environmental problems such as destruction of ecosystems, water pollution, overpopulation, and biodiversity loss. Such a change in public focus often comes with a tendency to decouple various environmental problems and ignore their synergistic effects. Exacerbating this problem are arguments from the media and other sources that discourage public interest in environmental topics by characterizing the science behind them as overly complex, immersed in debate and controversy, and detached from human interests. Educational programming, media, exhibitions, and other means of public outreach should build on the welcome increase in public interest in global warming by demonstrating the interplay of various environmental disruptions. In the case of biodiversity, the importance of species in providing ecosystem services, natural beauty and pleasure, and sustaining human lives is a message that requires constant attention and recrafting to impact diverse audiences.

Using a Synchronous Online Learning Environment to Promote and Enhance Transactional Engagement beyond the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wdowik, Steven

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to create a synchronous online learning community through the use of "Blackboard Collaborate!" to promote and enhance transactional engagement outside the classroom. Design/methodology/approach: This paper employs a quantitative and qualitative approach where data were sourced from a third year…

The Effect of Gender on the Non-Promotion of Black Males.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowan, Joseph L.

An analysis of sex differences in promotion and non-promotion rates in an inner city public high school in Chicago (Illinois) supports the findings of national studies on the promotion trends of black students. A review of the literature reveals the following major trends among black males: (1) black males tend to avoid intellectual engagement and…

TV nurses: promoting a positive image of nursing?

PubMed

Spear, Hila J

2010-01-01

It's understood that medical dramas are meant to entertain, not serve as documentaries. Nevertheless, media-driven messages are powerful, influencing the culture and collective mindset. This article evaluates current images of nurses in the media and challenges nurses to engage in professional and public service designed to promote a positive media and public image of nursing.

Measuring Engagement in Fourth to Twelfth Grade Classrooms: The Classroom Engagement Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Ze; Bergin, Christi; Bergin, David A.

2014-01-01

Research on factors that may promote engagement is hampered by the absence of a measure of classroom-level engagement. Literature has suggested that engagement may have 3 dimensions--affective, behavioral, and cognitive. No existing engagement scales measure all 3 dimensions at the classroom level. The Classroom Engagement Inventory (CEI) was…

About the Office of Public Engagement and Environmental Education (OPEEE)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

OPEEE leads and coordinates EPA programs to provide national leadership in promoting environmental literacy and establishes and maintains close working relationships with a broad range of public- and private-sector organizations.

Public engagement with information on renewable energy developments: The case of single, semi-urban wind turbines.

PubMed

Parks, J M; Theobald, K S

2013-01-01

This paper explores perceptions of public engagement with information on renewable energy developments. It draws on a case study of proposals by a major supermarket chain to construct single wind turbines in two semi-urban locations in the UK, analysing data from interviews with key actors in the planning process and focus groups with local residents. The paper concludes that key actors often had high expectations of how local people should engage with information, and sometimes implied that members of the public who were incapable of filtering or processing information in an organised or targeted fashion had no productive role to play in the planning process. It shows how the specific nature of the proposals (single wind turbines in semi-urban locations proposed by a commercial private sector developer) shaped local residents' information needs and concerns in a way that challenged key actors' expectations of how the public should engage with information.

Effective dialogue: Enhanced public engagement as a legitimising tool for municipal waste management decision-making

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garnett, Kenisha, E-mail: k.garnett@cranfield.ac.uk; Cooper, Tim, E-mail: t.h.cooper@ntu.ac.uk

2014-12-15

Highlights: • A review of public engagement in waste management decision-making is undertaken. • Enhanced public engagement is explored as a means to legitimise waste decisions. • Analytical–deliberative processes are explored as a tool for effective dialogue. • Considerations for integrating public values with technical analysis are outlined. • Insights into the design of appropriate public engagement processes are provided. - Abstract: The complexity of municipal waste management decision-making has increased in recent years, accompanied by growing scrutiny from stakeholders, including local communities. This complexity reflects a socio-technical framing of the risks and social impacts associated with selecting technologies andmore » sites for waste treatment and disposal facilities. Consequently there is growing pressure on local authorities for stakeholders (including communities) to be given an early opportunity to shape local waste policy in order to encourage swift planning, development and acceptance of the technologies needed to meet statutory targets to divert waste from landfill. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored the use of analytical–deliberative processes as a legitimising tool for waste management decision-making. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the study revealed that communicating the practical benefits of more inclusive forms of engagement is proving difficult even though planning and policy delays are hindering development and implementation of waste management infrastructure. Adopting analytical–deliberative processes at a more strategic level will require local authorities and practitioners to demonstrate how expert-citizen deliberations may foster progress in resolving controversial issues, through change in individuals, communities and institutions. The findings suggest that a significant shift in culture will be necessary for local authorities to realise the potential of more inclusive

The promotion and marketing of oxycontin: commercial triumph, public health tragedy.

PubMed

Van Zee, Art

2009-02-01

I focus on issues surrounding the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs and their regulatory oversight. Compared with noncontrolled drugs, controlled drugs, with their potential for abuse and diversion, pose different public health risks when they are overpromoted and highly prescribed. An in-depth analysis of the promotion and marketing of OxyContin illustrates some of the associated issues. Modifications of the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs by the pharmaceutical industry and an enhanced capacity of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate and monitor such promotion can have a positive impact on the public health.

Engaging the Online Learner: Perceptions of Public and Private Sector Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alagaraja, Meera; Dooley, Larry M.

2005-01-01

Engaging the online learner is a prominent issue that is certain to affect the future success of online learning. A critical step in progressing on this issue is to understand how public and private sector educators' adopt distinctive approaches to meet the diverse needs of their environments and their learners. The paper uses a thematic approach…

Understanding factors affecting patient and public engagement and recruitment to digital health interventions: a systematic review of qualitative studies.

PubMed

O'Connor, Siobhan; Hanlon, Peter; O'Donnell, Catherine A; Garcia, Sonia; Glanville, Julie; Mair, Frances S

2016-09-15

Numerous types of digital health interventions (DHIs) are available to patients and the public but many factors affect their ability to engage and enrol in them. This systematic review aims to identify and synthesise the qualitative literature on barriers and facilitators to engagement and recruitment to DHIs to inform future implementation efforts. PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Scopus and the ACM Digital Library were searched for English language qualitative studies from 2000 - 2015 that discussed factors affecting engagement and enrolment in a range of DHIs (e.g. 'telemedicine', 'mobile applications', 'personal health record', 'social networking'). Text mining and additional search strategies were used to identify 1,448 records. Two reviewers independently carried out paper screening, quality assessment, data extraction and analysis. Data was analysed using framework synthesis, informed by Normalization Process Theory, and Burden of Treatment Theory helped conceptualise the interpretation of results. Nineteen publications were included in the review. Four overarching themes that affect patient and public engagement and enrolment in DHIs emerged; 1) personal agency and motivation; 2) personal life and values; 3) the engagement and recruitment approach; and 4) the quality of the DHI. The review also summarises engagement and recruitment strategies used. A preliminary DIgital Health EnGagement MOdel (DIEGO) was developed to highlight the key processes involved. Existing knowledge gaps are identified and a number of recommendations made for future research. Study limitations include English language publications and exclusion of grey literature. This review summarises and highlights the complexity of digital health engagement and recruitment processes and outlines issues that need to be addressed before patients and the public commit to digital health and it can be implemented effectively. More work is needed to create successful engagement strategies and better

Promoting Sustained Engagement with Diversity: The Reciprocal Relationships between Informal and Formal College Diversity Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Nicholas A.

2012-01-01

College diversity experiences have been praised not only for their role in promoting student growth but also for contributing to future engagement with diversity. However, the evidence supporting this latter claim is quite limited, often relying on cross-sectional analyses. This study examines whether and how students' first-year diversity…

Civic Engagement in Teacher Education: A Commitment to Democratic Ideals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heafner, Tina L.

2011-01-01

Civic engagement draws on the concepts of American democratic ideals such that society's interests are promulgated through the education of its citizenry. Ideas come to fruition in the form of community action, voting, involvement in the political process, and public discourse for promoting the commonwealth. Engendering in youth the commitment to…

Mapping of Health Communication and Education Strategies Addressing the Public Health Dangers of Illicit Online Pharmacies.

PubMed

Anderson, Allison C; Mackey, Tim K; Attaran, Amir; Liang, Bryan A

2016-01-01

Illicit online pharmacies are a growing global public health concern. Stakeholders have started to engage in health promotion activities to educate the public, yet their scope and impact has not been examined. We wished to identify health promotion activities focused on consumer awareness regarding the risks of illicit online pharmacies. Organizations engaged on the issue were first identified using a set of engagement criteria. We then reviewed these organizations for health promotion programs, educational components, public service announcements, and social media engagement. Our review identified 13 organizations across a wide spectrum of stakeholders. Of these organizations, 69.2% (n = 9) had at least one type of health promotion activity targeting consumers. Although the vast majority of these organizations were active on Facebook or Twitter, many did not have dedicated content regarding online pharmacies (Facebook: 45.5%, Twitter: 58.3%). An online survey administered to 6 respondents employed by organizations identified in this study found that all organizations had dedicated programs on the issue, but only half had media planning strategies in place to measure the effectiveness of their programs. Overall, our results indicate that though some organizations are actively engaged on the issue, communication and education initiatives have had questionable effectiveness in reaching the public. We note that only a few organizations offered comprehensive and dedicated content to raise awareness on the issue and were effective in social media communications. In response, more robust collaborative efforts between stakeholders are needed to educate and protect the consumer about this public health and patient safety danger.

Education and Public Outreach and Engagement at NASA's Analog Missions in 2012

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watkins, Wendy L.; Janoiko, Barbara A.; Mahoney, Erin; Hermann, Nicole B.

2013-01-01

Analog missions are integrated, multi-disciplinary activities that test key features of future human space exploration missions in an integrated fashion to gain a deeper understanding of system-level interactions and operations early in conceptual development. These tests often are conducted in remote and extreme environments that are representative in one or more ways to that of future spaceflight destinations. They may also be conducted at NASA facilities, using advanced modeling and human-in-the-loop scenarios. As NASA develops a capability driven framework to transport crew to a variety of space environments, it will use analog missions to gather requirements and develop the technologies necessary to ensure successful exploration beyond low Earth orbit. NASA s Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Division conducts these high-fidelity integrated tests, including the coordination and execution of a robust education and public outreach (EPO) and engagement program for each mission. Conducting these mission scenarios in unique environments not only provides an opportunity to test the EPO concepts for the particular future-mission scenario, such as the best methods for conducting events with a communication time delay, but it also provides an avenue to deliver NASA s human space exploration key messages. These analogs are extremely exciting to students and the public, and they are performed in such a way that the public can feel like part of the mission. They also provide an opportunity for crew members to obtain training in education and public outreach activities similar to what they would perform in space. The analog EPO team is responsible for the coordination and execution of the events, the overall social media component for each mission, and public affairs events such as media visits and interviews. They also create new and exciting ways to engage the public, manage and create website content, coordinate video footage for missions, and coordinate and integrate

Is MCI over emphasising publication for promotion of medical teachers?

PubMed

Jain, Shobhit; Jain, Harjeet; Jain, Ashok Kumar

2017-01-01

Over the past year, there has been constant debate in various journals on the circular issued by the Medical Council of India (MCI) in September 2015, regarding the requirements for promotion of teaching faculty. The lack of a time-bound promotion system of medical faculty results in higher stress, dissatisfaction, lower productivity and quality of life and work. The critics have highlighted several issues in assessment of publication for teacher's promotion, eg the exclusion of publications in "electronic-only" journals, awarding points only to "original research" papers and first or second authors, listing of indexing databases for journals, categorising journals as national or international.

Leveraging Social Media to Engage the Public in Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

are so preoccupied that they have tunnel visions – you never really hear much from them. 10. The key is engaging the public before disaster...organized group). This is info coming from someone on their blackberry or pda. 87  New Zealand – focus is on citizen participation. Building a culture...dynamic information systems (temperature readings, blackberry or iphone network systems).  Need guidelines, a primer on how to use it effectively

Promoting Holistic Well-Being in Chronic Stroke Patients Through Leisure Art-Based Creative Engagement.

PubMed

Sit, Janet W H; Chan, Amy W H; So, Winnie K W; Chan, Carmen W H; Chan, Aileen W K; Chan, Helen Y L; Fung, Olivia W M; Wong, Eliza M L

To examine the potential value of a creative art-based activity as a caring modality for promoting holistic well-being among chronic stroke patients, and to explore the feelings and meanings that stroke patients derived from their experience in leisure art-based creative engagement (LACE). Qualitative design. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted. Qualitative content analysis was performed. The design and implementation of LACE was guided by Watson's theory of caring. Twenty-four participants completed the study. Four themes emerged from participants' account of experiences with the LACE: (1) appreciation of opportunities, (2) appreciation of self, (3) appreciation of others, and (4) appreciation of life. From the perspective of the participants, engaging in LACE enhances their sense of enjoyment and self-expression. Furthermore, they perceived LACE as an affirmation of life and an empowering process strengthening their connection and appreciation with the self and others. This study adds evidence to existing literature on Watson's theory-guided design and implementation of caring initiatives for community rehabilitation and has laid the groundwork for developing further evidencebased research in leisure art-based caring occasions for promoting holistic well-being in stroke rehabilitation.

Mobile Phones, Civic Engagement, and School Performance in Pakistan. CEPA Working Paper No. 16-17

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asim, Minahil; Dee, Thomas

2016-01-01

The effective governance of local public services depends critically on the civic engagement of local citizens. However, recent efforts to promote effective citizen oversight of the public-sector services in developing countries have had mixed results. This study discusses and evaluates a uniquely designed, low-cost, scalable program designed to…

Factors Influencing the Engagement of White Undergraduates Attending Public Historically Black Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Joelle Isabeth Davis

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence the engagement of White, undergraduate students attending public HBCUs. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have experienced an increase in White, undergraduate student enrollment since the early 1980s (American Association of University Professors, 2007; Libarkin,…

Integrating public health and community development to tackle neighborhood distress and promote well-being.

PubMed

Pastor, Manuel; Morello-Frosch, Rachel

2014-11-01

Recently there have been calls for public health to reconnect to urban planning in ways that emphasize the impact of place on health and that address fundamental causes of poor health, such as poverty, social inequality, and discrimination. Community developers have realized that poor health limits individuals' and communities' economic potential and have begun to integrate into their work such neighborhood health issues as access to fresh food and open space. In this article we review recent shifts in the community development field and give examples of programs that operate at the intersection of community development, public health, and civic engagement. For example, in Sacramento, California, the Building Healthy Communities program successfully promoted the creation of community gardens and bike paths and the redevelopment of brownfields. A major housing revitalization initiative in San Francisco, California, known as Sunnydale-Velasco, is transforming the city's largest public housing site into a mixed-income community that provides existing residents with new housing, infrastructure, services, and amenities. These examples and others illustrate the need to identify and make use of interdisciplinary approaches to ensure that all places are strong platforms for economic mobility, full democratic participation, and community health. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Nebraskans Weigh in on Essential Education Opportunities for All Students. A Public Engagement Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Will; Saxman, Lara

2004-01-01

Public Agenda was asked by the Nebraska State Board of Education and the Nebraska Department of Education (referred to hereafter as the State Board and the NDE) to help design and implement a public engagement process that would allow a cross-section of the state's citizens to comment on the central ideas contained in the document "Equitable…

Promoting Physics Among Female Learners in the Western Cape Through Active Engagement (abstract)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arendse, Gillian J.

2009-04-01

In 2006 the author organized a one-day intervention aimed at promoting physics among female learners at the University of Stellenbosch. The activities included an interactive lecture demonstration promoting active engagement, a hands-on session, and short presentations by female physicists addressing issues such as balancing family and career, breaking the stereotypes, and launching a successful career in physics. Each learner was expected to evaluate the program. In 2007 the author joined forces with Hip2B2 (Shuttleworth Foundation) to host a competition among grade-10 learners with the theme, ``promoting creativity through interactivity.'' The author was tasked by the Hip2B2-team to assist with a program for female learners planned for August 2008, coinciding with our national celebration of Women's Day. The event targeted 160 learners and took place in Durban, East London, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. The author shares some of the learners' experiences and personal triumphs.

Understanding, promoting and protecting geodiversity and geoheritage of the Piemonte region (Italy) through innovative techniques and public engagement in Earth Science studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giardino, Marco; Lozar, Francesca; Perotti, Luigi; Palomba, Mauro; Groppo, Chiara; Natalicchio, Marcello; Ghiraldi, Luca; Beltramo, Riccardo; Lombardo, Vincenzo

2016-04-01

The onset of Antropocene demonstrates the importance of considering both 1) geodiversity and 2) geoheritage as parts of the landscape "interfaces" where relationships between natural and socio-economic systems can be studied and interpreted. By definition: 1) is the variety, recognizable in nature ("diversity"), of geological features (rocks, minerals, fossils…), of geomorphological environments (and related forms and processes) and of soil characteristics; 2) is an integral part of the global natural heritage focusing on unique, special and representative sites of geological interests (geosites l.s.). In the Antropocene, both 1) and 2) hold a dynamic character, as the result of actions and interactions of natural and/or human factors. Therefore, geodiversity and geoheritage studies are essential for breaking down geological environments and human territories into their main parts and to understand the variables and mechanisms that control their changes. In this perspective, results of the multidisciplinary project PROGEO-Piemonte ("PROactive management of GEOlogical heritage in the Piemonte Region") are presented here: an innovative approach for assessing geodiversity in order to select areas of high potential value of geoheritage to be enhanced by targeted management actions. Since the geodiversity of Piemonte is materialized by elements of high scientific, educational, tourism, etc. value, the geosites where this geoheritage is preserved have been comprehensively analysed and characterized for encompassing both public and private interests. 9 strategic geothematic areas have been selected in the Piemonte Region to test this approach, and to improve social engagement aimed at protecting and promoting geodiversity ad geoheritage. The investigated areas represent the multifaceted geodiversity of Piemonte; each area is characterized by high potential for scientific studies, enhancement of public understanding of science, recreation activities and for economic

[Workplace health promotion in public health policies in Poland].

PubMed

Puchalski, Krzysztof; Korzeniowska, Elzbieta

2008-01-01

In this paper the author analyses how far in Poland the idea of workplace health promotion (WHP) does exist in the area of public health understood in its broadest sense. The analysis encapsulates the following issues: (a) the national legislative policy, (b) strategies, programs and projects concerning health issues launched or coordinated by the state or local administration, (c) grassroots initiatives for health promotion supported by local and regional administration, (d) civic projects or business strategies for health. In addition, the author emphasizes the marginalization of workplace health promotion and lack of cohesive policy in this field as well as, the fact that health problems of the working population arising from current demographic, technological, economic and social changes that could be dealt with through developing and implementing WHP projects are not yet fully perceived by public health policy makers.

40 CFR 745.229 - Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities § 745.229 Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based... engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and commercial buildings, bridges and superstructures...

40 CFR 745.229 - Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities § 745.229 Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based... engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and commercial buildings, bridges and superstructures...

40 CFR 745.229 - Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) TOXIC SUBSTANCES CONTROL ACT LEAD-BASED PAINT POISONING PREVENTION IN CERTAIN RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES Lead-Based Paint Activities § 745.229 Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based... engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and commercial buildings, bridges and superstructures...

Promoting Health Through Policy and Systems Change: Public Health Students and Mentors on the Value of Policy Advocacy Experience in Academic Internships.

PubMed

Marquez, Daniela; Pell, Dylan; Forster-Cox, Sue; Garcia, Evelyn; Ornelas, Sophia; Bandstra, Brenna; Mata, Holly

2017-05-01

Emerging professionals and new Certified Health Education Specialists often lack academic training in and actual experience in National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Area of Responsibility VII: Communicate, Promote, and Advocate for Health, Health Education/Promotion, and the Profession. For undergraduate and graduate students who have an opportunity to complete an internship or practicum experience, gaining experience in Competencies 7.2: Engage in advocacy for health and health education/promotion and 7.3: Influence policy and/or systems change to promote health and health education can have a profound impact on their career development and their ability to advocate for policies that promote health and health equity. Compelling evidence suggests that interventions that address social determinants of health such as poverty and education and those that change the context through improved policy or healthier environments have the greatest impact on public health, making it vital for emerging public health professionals to gain experience in policy advocacy and systems change. In this commentary, students and faculty from two large universities in the U.S.-Mexico border region reflect on the value of policy advocacy in academic internship/fieldwork experiences. Based on their experiences, they highly recommend that students seek out internship opportunities where they can participate in policy advocacy, and they encourage university faculty and practicum preceptors to provide more opportunities for policy advocacy in both classroom and fieldwork settings.

Opportunities for Scientists to Engage the Public & Inspire Students in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaughan, R. G.; Worssam, J.; Vaughan, A. F.

2014-12-01

Increasingly, research scientists are learning that communicating science to broad, non-specialist audiences, particularly students, is just as important as communicating science to their peers via peer-reviewed scientific publications. This presentation highlights opportunities that scientists in Flagstaff, AZ have to foster public support of science & inspire students to study STEM disciplines. The goal here is to share ideas, personal experiences, & the rewards, for both students & research professionals, of engaging in science education & public outreach. Flagstaff, AZ, "America's First STEM Community," has a uniquely rich community of organizations engaged in science & engineering research & innovation, including the Flagstaff Arboretum, Coconino Community College, Gore Industries, Lowell Observatory, Museum of Northern Arizona, National Weather Service, National Park Service, National Forest Service, Northern Arizona University, Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology, US Geological Survey, US Naval Observatory, & Willow Bend Environmental Education Center. These organizations connect with the Northern Arizona community during the yearly Flagstaff Festival of Science - the third oldest science festival in the world - a 10 day long, free, science festival featuring daily public lectures, open houses, interactive science & technology exhibits, field trips, & in-school speaker programs. Many research scientists from these organizations participate in these activities, e.g., public lectures, open houses, & in-school speaker programs, & also volunteer as mentors for science & engineering themed clubs in local schools. An example of a novel, innovative program, developed by a local K-12 science teacher, is the "Scientists-in-the-Classroom" mentor program, which pairs all 7th & 8th grade students with a working research scientist for the entire school year. Led by the student & guided by the mentor, they develop a variety of science / technology

Using Competitions to Engage the Public: Lessons Learnt from Rosetta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Flaherty, K. S.; Baldwin, E.; Mignone, C.; Homfeld, A. M.; Scuka, D.; Schepers, A.; Braun, M.; Croci, F.; Giacomini, L.; Journo, N.; Bauer, M.; McCaughrean, M.

2016-03-01

The year 2014 was an historic and challenging time for the Rosetta mission. On 20 January the spacecraft awoke from a 957-day hibernation; by August, it had arrived at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; and in November, the lander Philae was deployed to the comet's surface. These milestones were communicated by traditional outreach channels -- on websites and via press events -- as well as through the extensive use of social media. To provide an opportunity for the public to participate actively in these milestones, the European Space Agency and its partners ran three competitions. In this article we outline how these competitions provided a means for the public to engage with what was to become one of the most exciting space science missions in decades.

Stakeholder integration and public engagement of EU and national research projects in Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruhnau, Meike; Guo, Chenbo; Walter, Anastasia; Schneider, Nadine

2017-04-01

The talk addresses the feasibility and difficulties of research projects to reach out and to integrate a sufficient number of stakeholders (vgl. Carrada, 2006; Poulsen, 2007; Zikos et al. 2012; Lee & Belohlav, 2014). With "stakeholders" we understand end-users, policy makers, students for capacity building, administrators and interested general public. The design and later the implementation of stakeholder integration and public engagement strongly depend on the priority-setting and requirements of funding agencies (EU [1], DFG, BMBF and the regional ministries in Germany). They affect the size and constellation of consortia as well as the longevity and continuity of research community; on the other hand they also determine the weighting of communication, dissemination, outreach (and networking) activities within the project. For instance by public engagement of EU funded projects a share of 10% for communication and outreach activities was rated as best practices in 2014 [2]. On the national level there is no such appointment so far. In our talk we will quantify and compare activities among selected EU and nationally funded collaborative projects in Germany, address the hurdles, investigate the communication tools, examine the outreach channels and dissemination tactics, reflect the performances and the results achieved so far, with the objective to answer the following questions: - What tools/channels have been applied so far? Were they efficient and expedient? - What can be count as best practices? - Are such activities sustainable at all? The goal of this talk is to show the complexity of the stakeholder integration and public engagement in research projects, to critically assess our experiences gained in past and running projects, and to subsequently have an interactive exchange with other project professionals at EGU. [1] European Commission (2004, 2008, 2010, 2014). Communicating EU research and innovation guidance for project participants; [2] European

Public Deliberation: The Kettering Foundation's Experience and Opportunities for the Engaged University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muse, William V.

2009-01-01

The National Issues Forums Institute (NIFI), launched by the Kettering Foundation in 1980, provides an opportunity for the engaged university to foster public deliberation with its students and alumni, as well as leaders in the communities where it operates. NIFI publishes three issue books per year on topics of national importance. These…

The Europlanet Prize for Public Engagement with Planetary Science: three years of honouring outstanding achievements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heward Fouchet, T.

2012-09-01

Europlanet launched an annual Prize for Public Engagement with Planetary Sciences at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) in 2009. At EPSC 2012, the prize will be presented for the third time. To date, the prize has been awarded to: • 2010 - Dr Jean Lilensten of the Laboratoire de Planétologie de Grenoble for his development and dissemination of his 'planeterrella' experiment; • 2011 - The Austrian Space Forum for their coordinated programme of outreach activities, which range from simple classroom presentations to space exhibitions reaching 15 000 visitors; • 2012 - Yaël Nazé, for the diverse outreach programme she has individually initiated over the years, carefully tailored to audiences across the spectrum of society, including children, artists and elderly people. These three prizes cover a spectrum of different approaches to outreach and provide inspiration for anyone wishing to become engaged in public engagement, whether at an individual and institutional level.

Innovative Public Engagement Practices and Partnerships: Lifting Stakeholder Voices in Education Accountability Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wills, Monica; Brewer, Curtis; Knoeppel, Robert; Witte, James; Pargas, Roy; Lindle, Jane Clark

2010-01-01

In 2008, due to increasing stakeholder dissatisfaction with assessment results and school report cards, South Carolina revised its 1998 Educational Accountability Act and required public engagement with stakeholders including parents/guardians, educators, business and community leaders, and taxpayers. The legislation created partnerships between…

Factors Promoting Engaged Exploration with Computer Simulations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Podolefsky, Noah S.; Perkins, Katherine K.; Adams, Wendy K.

2010-01-01

This paper extends prior research on student use of computer simulations (sims) to engage with and explore science topics, in this case wave interference. We describe engaged exploration; a process that involves students actively interacting with educational materials, sense making, and exploring primarily via their own questioning. We analyze…

Student-Designed Public Service Announcement (PSA) Videos to Enhance Motivation and Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrams, Kenneth

2012-01-01

Educators often focus on enhancing student motivation and engagement. This article describes an activity with these aims, in which undergraduates (a) learn about theories and research on means of persuasion and (b) in small groups design and record a public service announcement (PSA) video, write a brief paper that outlines the theories used to…

The Promotion and Marketing of OxyContin: Commercial Triumph, Public Health Tragedy

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

I focus on issues surrounding the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs and their regulatory oversight. Compared with noncontrolled drugs, controlled drugs, with their potential for abuse and diversion, pose different public health risks when they are overpromoted and highly prescribed. An in-depth analysis of the promotion and marketing of OxyContin illustrates some of the associated issues. Modifications of the promotion and marketing of controlled drugs by the pharmaceutical industry and an enhanced capacity of the Food and Drug Administration to regulate and monitor such promotion can have a positive impact on the public health. PMID:18799767

German Muslims and their engagement in participatory culture: reflections on civic and artistic contributions to the public sphere.

PubMed

Soliman, Asmaa

2017-09-01

This paper examines publics of young German Muslims. Case studies include the singer Huelya Kandemir, the theatre group Uma Lamo and the social network Zahnräder. By focusing on spiritual music publics, theatrical comedy publics and social publics, it tries a new approach to the way in which we understand minority public engagement. In addition to examining the concept of counterpublics, it utilizes the concept of participatory culture, which offers a relevant complement. The study argues that the publics of young German Muslims display multifaceted artistic and civic engagement, which can best be understood in terms of participation in cultural or civic productions and contribution to the wider German public. Features or effects of counterpublics, such as the countering of mainstream representations of minority identities and the offering of alternative discourses, are occasionally reflected in their activities. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

Use of Web 2.0 Social Media Platforms to Promote Community-Engaged Research Dialogs: A Preliminary Program Evaluation.

PubMed

Valdez Soto, Miguel; Balls-Berry, Joyce E; Bishop, Shawn G; Aase, Lee A; Timimi, Farris K; Montori, Victor M; Patten, Christi A

2016-09-09

Community-engaged research is defined by the Institute of Medicine as the process of working collaboratively with groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interests, or similar situations with respect to issues affecting their well-being. Traditional face-to-face community-engaged research is limited by geographic location, limited in resources, and/or uses one-way communications. Web 2.0 technologies including social media are novel communication channels for community-engaged research because these tools can reach a broader audience while promoting bidirectional dialogs. This paper reports on a preliminary program evaluation of the use of social media platforms for promoting engagement of researchers and community representatives in dialogs about community-engaged research. For this pilot program evaluation, the Clinical and Translational Science Office for Community Engagement in Research partnered with the Social Media Network at our institution to create a WordPress blog and Twitter account. Both social media platforms were facilitated by a social media manager. We used descriptive analytics for measuring engagement with WordPress and Twitter over an 18-month implementation period during 2014-2016. For the blog, we examined type of user (researcher, community representative, other) and used content analysis to generate the major themes from blog postings. For use of Twitter, we examined selected demographics and impressions among followers. There were 76 blog postings observed from researchers (48/76, 64%), community representatives (23/76, 32%) and funders (5/76, 8%). The predominant themes of the blog content were research awareness and dissemination of community-engaged research (35/76, 46%) and best practices (23/76, 30%). For Twitter, we obtained 411 followers at the end of the 18-month evaluation period, with an increase of 42% (from 280 to 411) over the final 6 months. Followers reported varied geographic location (321/411, 78

Use of Web 2.0 Social Media Platforms to Promote Community-Engaged Research Dialogs: A Preliminary Program Evaluation

PubMed Central

Valdez Soto, Miguel; Bishop, Shawn G; Aase, Lee A; Timimi, Farris K; Montori, Victor M; Patten, Christi A

2016-01-01

Background Community-engaged research is defined by the Institute of Medicine as the process of working collaboratively with groups of people affiliated by geographic proximity, special interests, or similar situations with respect to issues affecting their well-being. Traditional face-to-face community-engaged research is limited by geographic location, limited in resources, and/or uses one-way communications. Web 2.0 technologies including social media are novel communication channels for community-engaged research because these tools can reach a broader audience while promoting bidirectional dialogs. Objective This paper reports on a preliminary program evaluation of the use of social media platforms for promoting engagement of researchers and community representatives in dialogs about community-engaged research. Methods For this pilot program evaluation, the Clinical and Translational Science Office for Community Engagement in Research partnered with the Social Media Network at our institution to create a WordPress blog and Twitter account. Both social media platforms were facilitated by a social media manager. We used descriptive analytics for measuring engagement with WordPress and Twitter over an 18-month implementation period during 2014-2016. For the blog, we examined type of user (researcher, community representative, other) and used content analysis to generate the major themes from blog postings. For use of Twitter, we examined selected demographics and impressions among followers. Results There were 76 blog postings observed from researchers (48/76, 64%), community representatives (23/76, 32%) and funders (5/76, 8%). The predominant themes of the blog content were research awareness and dissemination of community-engaged research (35/76, 46%) and best practices (23/76, 30%). For Twitter, we obtained 411 followers at the end of the 18-month evaluation period, with an increase of 42% (from 280 to 411) over the final 6 months. Followers reported varied

The Future is Now: Reducing Psychological Distance to Increase Public Engagement with Climate Change.

PubMed

Jones, Charlotte; Hine, Donald W; Marks, Anthony D G

2017-02-01

Many people perceive climate change as psychologically distant-a set of uncertain events that might occur far in the future, impacting distant places and affecting people dissimilar to themselves. In this study, we employed construal level theory to investigate whether a climate change communication intervention could increase public engagement by reducing the psychological distance of climate change. Australian residents (N = 333) were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: one framed to increase psychological distance to climate change (distal frame), and the other framed to reduce psychological distance (proximal frame). Participants then completed measures of psychological distance of climate change impacts, climate change concern, and intentions to engage in mitigation behavior. Principal components analysis indicated that psychological distance to climate change was best conceptualized as a multidimensional construct consisting of four components: geographic, temporal, social, and uncertainty. Path analysis revealed the effect of the treatment frame on climate change concern and intentions was fully mediated by psychological distance dimensions related to uncertainty and social distance. Our results suggest that climate communications framed to reduce psychological distance represent a promising strategy for increasing public engagement with climate change. © 2016 Society for Risk Analysis.

Engaging the Public Through an Interactive Astronomy Outreach Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Kristen

2018-01-01

The growing technology sector of the U.S. economy in an increasingly complex world has made it more important than ever for students to gather information, think critically, and solve problems. These skills are often acquired through the study of STEM disciplines. In an effort to inspire students and the public in the Charlotte, NC area to take an interest in STEM related fields, the Physics Department at Davidson College has recently developed an interactive astronomy community engagement program. This program is comprised of off-campus events that bring STEM programming to K-12 children, on-campus public star parties, and a day-long astronomy fair called Davidson Space Day. This presentation will illustrate the implementation of each of these components of our outreach program, present an evaluation of their success, and describe future goals and lessons learned thus far. This outreach program was made possible through funding from the NC Space Grant Consortium.

Willingness to Engage in Open Educational Practices among Academics in Rwandan Public Higher Education and Responsive Actions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nkuyubwatsi, Bernard

2017-01-01

Academics' engagement in Open Educational Practices (OEPs) is critical for opening up higher education. It is in this perspective that the willingness to engage in such practices among academics in Rwandan public higher education was investigated with an agenda to trigger responsive actions. Via convenience/availability and volunteer sampling, 170…

The Space Apps Challenge: Using Open Innovation Competitions to Engage The Public in the Scientific Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, S. S.

2016-12-01

NASA's Space Apps Challenge encourages innovation, creativity and collaborative problem solving by gathering coders, builders, artists, designers, and storytellers in a 48-hour hackathon. Open Innovation competitions such as the Space Apps Challenge bring the scientific world to members of the public, regardless of age, experience, credentials, or expertise. In the past five years, this model of public engagement has been widely employed by government, nonprofit and academic institutions, allowing the building of partnerships between the scientific community and the individuals and communities they serve. Furthermore, advances in technology and challenge models have lowered the barriers and costs to scientific collaboration with and for the public. NASA's Space Apps Challenge, structured as a competition seeking solutions from the public to posed problems, brings together teams and forges collaborations between individuals and groups who would otherwise have never worked together for a short but high intensity problem solving session, Space Apps has has created a pathway to public engagement and innovation that is often faster, cheaper, and more impactful than traditional approaches.

Building work engagement: A systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the effectiveness of work engagement interventions.

PubMed

Knight, Caroline; Patterson, Malcolm; Dawson, Jeremy

2017-07-01

Low work engagement may contribute towards decreased well-being and work performance. Evaluating, boosting and sustaining work engagement are therefore of interest to many organisations. However, the evidence on which to base interventions has not yet been synthesised. A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of work engagement interventions. A systematic literature search identified controlled workplace interventions employing a validated measure of work engagement. Most used the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Studies containing the relevant quantitative data underwent random-effects meta-analyses. Results were assessed for homogeneity, systematic sampling error, publication bias and quality. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria and were categorised into four types of interventions: (i) personal resource building; (ii) job resource building; (iii) leadership training; and (iv) health promotion. The overall effect on work engagement was small, but positive, k  = 14, Hedges g  = 0.29, 95%-CI = 0.12-0.46. Moderator analyses revealed a significant result for intervention style, with a medium to large effect for group interventions. Heterogeneity between the studies was high, and the success of implementation varied. More studies are needed, and researchers are encouraged to collaborate closely with organisations to design interventions appropriate to individual contexts and settings, and include evaluations of intervention implementation. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Organizational Behavior published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Role of Implied Motion in Engaging Audiences for Health Promotion: Encouraging Naps on a College Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackert, Michael; Lazard, Allison; Guadagno, Marie; Hughes Wagner, Jessica

2014-01-01

Objective: Lack of sleep among college students negatively impacts health and academic outcomes. Building on research that implied motion imagery increases brain activity, this project tested visual design strategies to increase viewers' engagement with a health communication campaign promoting napping to improve sleep habits. Participants:…

Special Report: Engaging Islamists and Promoting Democracy. A Preliminary Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-08-01

growth. The PJD has also sought to use its parliamentary position to broaden its public appeal by promoting good gover - nance; the PJD’s parliamentary...parliament, the PJD deemphasizes its moral agenda, adopting a more pragmatic and sophisticated approach to a number of moral issues. Tourism is a key... tourism . In response, the PJD has pushed to develop Morocco’s infrastructure and establish retirement communities for European retirees. The project

Power and Resistance: Reflections on the Rhetoric and Reality of Using Participatory Methods to Promote Student Voice and Engagement in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seale, Jane; Gibson, Suanne; Haynes, Joanna; Potter, Alice

2015-01-01

The focus of this article is methods for facilitating student voice and engagement in higher education, specifically participatory methods. Across the student voice and engagement literature there is a growing emphasis on promoting collaborative partnerships between staff and students. However, there is a lack of detail and criticality with…

Science Engagement Through Hands-On Activities that Promote Scientific Thinking and Generate Excitement and Awareness of NASA Assets, Missions, and Science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, P. V.; Foxworth, S.; Miller, R.; Runco, S.; Luckey, M. K.; Maudlin, E.

2018-01-01

The public with hands-on activities that infuse content related to NASA assets, missions, and science and reflect authentic scientific practices promotes understanding and generates excitement about NASA science, research, and exploration. These types of activities expose our next generation of explorers to science they may be inspired to pursue as a future STEM career and expose people of all ages to unique, exciting, and authentic aspects of NASA exploration. The activities discussed here (Blue Marble Matches, Lunar Geologist Practice, Let's Discover New Frontiers, Target Asteroid, and Meteorite Bingo) have been developed by Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Science Engagement Specialists in conjunction with ARES Scientists at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Activities are designed to be usable across a variety of educational environments (formal and informal) and reflect authentic scientific content and practices.

75 FR 33983 - Establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-16

... 13544 of June 10, 2010 Establishing the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council... of Health and Human Services, the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council... Health and Human Services; (4) the Secretary of Transportation; (5) the Secretary of Education; (6) the...

How to include public health practice and practitioners in a European Network.

PubMed

Brusaferro, Silvio; Tricarico, Pierfrancesco

2017-10-01

There is a wide range of different Public Health (PH) activities and programs running in Europe. Besides the richness of national traditions, differences exist in numbers of programs, methods adopted, types of engaged professionals, available resources (including public investments), awareness to the problem and finally in health indicators among and within countries. Promoting networks of PH practices and practitioners strengthens the possibility to share knowledge across organizational, sectorial and geographic boundaries, promotes adaptation and local implementation, fosters innovation in the form of knowledge creation by developing more efficient new services and by sharing effective practices within and between organizations and sectors. Nevertheless, strengthening existing networks and promoting new ones requires coordinated efforts based on complex adaptive systems and network science rules, along with the engagement of local, national and European health authorities. Given these premises, networking promotion and development is a promising way to improve health and wealth to European citizens and communities. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Reasons for Engagement: SME Owner-manager Motivations for Engaging in a Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing Intervention.

PubMed

Dawkins, Sarah; Martin, Angela; Kilpatrick, Michelle; Scott, Jenn

2018-05-30

Small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) require specialized attention regarding workplace mental health (WMH), but can be challenging to engage in WMH promotion interventions. This cross-sectional study analyzed self-reported motivations of SME owner/managers who engaged in a WMH promotion intervention specifically designed for SMEs. Data from 297 SME owner/managers was thematically coded prior to conducting multinominal logistical regression analyses to determine reasons for engagement based on a series of predictors, including owner/manager psychological distress, recent experience of a stressful work event, and business confidence. Owner/manager psychological distress, experience of a recent stressful workplace, and low 12-month business confidence incident were important predictors of engagement. The findings provide important insights into the uptake of a WMH promotion intervention, which can inform the design and future recruitment strategies for WMH promotion interventions within the SME sector.

40 CFR 745.229 - Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 31 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and commercial buildings, bridges and superstructures... paint activities: public and commercial buildings, bridges and superstructures. [Reserved] ...

40 CFR 745.229 - Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Certification of individuals and firms engaged in lead-based paint activities: public and commercial buildings, bridges and superstructures... paint activities: public and commercial buildings, bridges and superstructures. [Reserved] ...

Civic Engagement as Risk Management and Public Relations: What the Pharmaceutical Industry Can Teach Us about Service-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, J. Blake

2009-01-01

The pharmaceutical industry's corporate responsibility reports illustrate how the liberal rhetoric of civic engagement can be reappropriated to serve the market-driven aims of risk management and public relations. Tracing the ideologic linkage of corporate responsibility and service-learning versions of civic engagement, and contextualizing…

Building the capacity for public engagement with science in the United States.

PubMed

Guston, David H

2014-01-01

This paper reviews efforts of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University (CNS-ASU) to begin to build capacity for public engagement with science in the United States. First, the paper sets a context in the US of the current challenges to democracy and for science. It then reviews the literature on the accomplishments of the National Citizens' Technology Forum (NCTF) on nanotechnology and human enhancement, held in 2008, as well as some caveats that emerged from that enterprise. It concludes with a brief discussion of two kinds of activities - participation in the World Wide Views process organized by the Danish Board of Technology, and methodological innovations that include more concrete and experiential modes of engagement - that have spun off from the NCTF.

Engaging wider publics with studying and protecting the ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nauen, Cornelia E.

2015-04-01

The ocean is dying. The vast scientific literature diagnoses massive reductions in the biomass of fish and invertebrates from overfishing, increasing destruction of coral ecosystems in the tropics from climate change, extensive dead zones from eutrophication and collapse of marine bird populations from ingesting plastic. Even though Darwin suspected already The scale is becoming apparent only from meta-analyses at regional or even global scales as individual studies tend to focus on one fishery or one type of organisms or geographic location. In combination with deep rooted perceptions of the vastness of the ocean the changes are difficult to comprehend for specialists and the general public alike. Even though more than half of humanity is estimated to live in coastal zones as defined by some, urbanisation is removing about half from regular, more direct exposure. Yet, there is much still to be explored, not only in the deep, little studied, parts. The ocean exercises great fascination on many people heightened since the period of discovery and the mystery of far-flung places, but the days, when Darwin's research results were regularly discussed in public spaces are gone. Rachel Carson's prize-winning and best selling book "The Sea Around Us", some serialised chapters in magazines and condensations in "Reader's Digest" transported the poetic rendering of science again to a wider public. But compared to the diversity of scientific inquiry about the ocean and importance for life-support system earth there is much room for engaging ocean science in the broad sense with larger and diverse publics. Developing new narratives rooted in the best available sciences is among the most promising modes of connecting different areas of scientific inquiry and non-specialists alike. We know at latest since Poincaré's famous dictum that "the facts don't speak". However, contextualised information can capture the imagination of the many and thus also reveal unexpected connections

Engaging Youth on Climate & Health to Cultivate Community Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haine, D. B.; Gray, K. M.; Chang, D.; Morton, T.; Steele, B.; Backus, A.; Hauptman, M.

2017-12-01

Cultivating climate literacy among youth positions them to develop solutions and advocate for actions that prepare communities to adapt to climate change, mitigate emissions and ultimately protect human health and well-being, with an eye towards protecting the most vulnerable populations. This presentation will describe an innovative partnership among three university environmental health programs—based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia University and Harvard University—and their community collaborators: the Alliance for Climate Education, Boston Children's Hospital Pediatric Environmental Health Center and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. This project engages youth through non-formal educational programming that promotes climate literacy while also building the capacity of today's youth to promote community resilience. This partnership led to the development and implementation of two, long-duration extracurricular youth science enrichment programs in 2017, one in North Carolina (NC) and one in New York, with joint activities conducted virtually and in person to connect students with each other and with leading public health professionals and others working to promote community resilience and climate justice. Forty high school students, 20 from central NC and 20 from West Harlem in New York City, are enrolled in each program. In July 2017, students came together for a 3-day summer institute in NC. This session will feature the strategies, STEM-based activities and resources used in this project to engage students in the examination of their communities, identification and evaluation of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies and promotion of community resilience. Programming entailed having students interact with public health professionals, scientists and others to learn about climate impacts to public health and its infrastructure, vulnerable populations and planning for resilient communities. Ultimately, we sought to promote

A new approach to public engagement : capturing better ideas and representative priorities from the public for the Illinois Department of Transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-15

In recent years, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has devoted time and resources to improving its public engagement program and the quantity and quality of the feedback and ideas it receives from residents of Illinois. In 2016, as par...

[Assertive community treatment: promoting engagement with care of people suffering severe addiction].

PubMed

Morandi, Stéphane; Silva, Benedetta; Monnat, Martine; Bonsack, Charles

2016-06-08

Despite the increasing number of specialized addiction services and the constant deployment of health care resources, a coordinated needs-based treatment is not always available for people with severe drugs and/or alcohol problems. Too often the involved health care professionals feel helpless and overwhelmed by the complexity of the situation. In order to promote the treatment engagement of the hard-to-reach substance users, a multidisciplinary mobile team project for addiction (SIMA) was developed in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 20174. This paper describes the model of intervention, the profile of the population followed during the first year of intervention and illustrates, through two clinical cases, the advantages of this approach.

From middle school to college: developing aspirations, promoting engagement, and indirect pathways from parenting to post high school enrollment.

PubMed

Hill, Nancy E; Wang, Ming-Te

2015-02-01

Based on a longitudinal sample of 1,452 African American and European American adolescents and their parents, parenting practices (i.e., monitoring, warmth, and autonomy support) at 7th grade had significant indirect effects on college enrollment 3 years post high school, through their effects on aspirations, school engagement, and grade point average (GPA). All 3 parenting practices were related to aspirations and behavioral engagement at 8th grade, with 2 of the 3 parenting practices related to the emotional (monitoring and warmth) and cognitive (autonomy support and warmth) engagement. The reciprocal relations between aspirations and engagement/GPA were significant, although the effects from 8th aspirations to 11th engagement were stronger than the reverse path. Ethnic differences were found only for parenting practices: monitoring had stronger associations with GPA and behavioral engagement for African Americans, whereas autonomy support had stronger associations with GPA for European Americans. For African American parents, a delicate balance is needed to capture the benefits of higher levels of monitoring for promoting GPA and behavioral engagement and the benefits of autonomy support for developing aspirations and cognitive engagement. Parental warmth was equally beneficial for supporting aspirations, engagement, and achievement across ethnicity. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Earned media and public engagement with CDC's "Tips from Former Smokers" campaign: an analysis of online news and blog coverage.

PubMed

Kornfield, Rachel; Smith, Katherine Clegg; Szczypka, Glen; Vera, Lisa; Emery, Sherry

2015-01-20

In March 2012, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the first-ever paid national tobacco education campaign. At a cost of US $54 million, "Tips from Former Smokers" (Tips) ran for 3 months across multiple media, depicting the suffering experienced by smokers and their families in graphic detail. The potential impact and reach of the Tips campaign was not limited to that achieved through paid media placements. It was also potentially extended through "earned media", including news and blog coverage of the campaign. Such coverage can shape public understanding of and facilitate public engagement with key health issues. To better understand the contribution of earned media to the public's engagement with health issues in the current news media environment, we examined the online "earned media" and public engagement generated by one national public health campaign. We constructed a purposive sample of online media coverage of the CDC's 2012 Tips from Former Smokers television campaign, focusing on 14 influential and politically diverse US news outlets and policy-focused blogs. We identified relevant content by combining campaign and website-specific keywords for 4 months around the campaign release. Each story was coded for content, inclusion of multimedia, and measures of audience engagement. The search yielded 36 stories mentioning Tips, of which 27 were focused on the campaign. Story content between pieces was strikingly similar, with most stories highlighting the same points about the campaign's content, cost, and potential impact. We saw notable evidence of audience engagement; stories focused on Tips generated 9547 comments, 8891 Facebook "likes", 1027 tweets, and 505 story URL shares on Facebook. Audience engagement varied by story and site, as did the valence and relevance of associated audience comments. Comments were most oppositional on CNN and most supportive on Yahoo. Comment coding revealed approximately equal levels of

Outreach and capacity building activities for engaging youth and public in Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foing, Bernard H.

We report to the COSPAR Panel on Education and relevant community on activities, pilot projects and results relevant for outreach and engagement in exploration. Number of activities were developed in the frame of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) including the participation of students in lunar symposia, space conferences or ICEUM International Conferences on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon* ILEWG with support from various space agencies, universities and institutions has organized events for young professionals with a wide background (including scientist, engineers, humanistic, law, art students) a Moon academy, lunar and planetary students work-shops, technical training workshops, international observe the Moon sessions. ILEWG has organised or sponsored participants to a series of field training and research campaigns in Utah desert research station, Eifel volcanic park, Iceland, Rio Tinto, La Reunion island. Education and outreach projects used space missions data (SMART-1 views of the Moon, Earth views from space, Mars views, Mars crowdsourcing games, astronomy data analysis) to engage the public in citizen science and exploration. Artistic and sociological projects (e.g. "social lunar telescope, lunar zen garden, Moon academy, MoonLife, MoonLife concept store, Moon republic, artscience projects, space science in the arts, artists in residence, artists in MoonMars base") were also initiated with artists to engage the wide public in exploration. A number of projects have been developed with support from ITACCUS IAF committee. We shall discuss how these pilot projects could be expanded for the benefit of future space projects, young professionals, the space community and the public. Acknowledgements: we thank collaborators from ILEWG community and partner institutes for the different projects mentioned http://sci.esa.int/ilewg/ http://sci.esa.int/ilewg/47170-gluc-iceum11-beijing-2010lunar-declaration/ Foing B., Stoker C

Youth Arts, Media, and Critical Literacies as Forms of Public Engagement in the Local/Global Interface

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Theresa

2016-01-01

This article provides a reanalysis of a multisited case study of youth arts, media, and critical literacy to theorize the role of networked and physical "publics" within which youth engage with issues they care about, making claims about their lived experiences. An understanding of the nature and role of publics is crucial to productive…

76 FR 53255 - Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which Public Health...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-25

... Part 50 45 CFR Part 94 Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for Which...-AA53 Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which Public Health Service... of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which Public Health Service Funding is Sought...

Bright Lights: Big Experiments! A public engagement activity for international year of light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downie, Jonathan; Morton, Jonathan A. S.; McCoustra, Martin R. S.

2017-01-01

The Bright Lights: Big Experiments! public engagement project enabled high school students Scottish S2 to prepare a short, 5 min video using their own words and in their own style to present a scientific experiment on the theme of light to their contemporaries via YouTube. This paper describes the various experiments that we chose to deliver and our experiences in delivering them to our partner schools. The results of pre- and post-activity surveys of both the pupils and teachers are presented in an effort to understand the impact of the project on the students, staff and their schools. The quality of the final video product is shown to be a key factor, increasing the pupils’ likelihood of pursuing science courses and participating in further science engagement activities. Analysis of the evaluation methods used indicate the need for more sensitive tools to provide further insight into the impact of this type of engagement activity.

Engaging Students in Learning Science through Promoting Creative Reasoning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldrip, Bruce; Prain, Vaughan

2017-01-01

Student engagement in learning science is both a desirable goal and a long-standing teacher challenge. Moving beyond engagement understood as transient topic interest, we argue that cognitive engagement entails sustained interaction in the processes of how knowledge claims are generated, judged, and shared in this subject. In this paper, we…

CONTRIBUTION OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT TO THE IMPACT OF A HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT: AN IRISH CASE STUDY.

PubMed

Ryan, Máirín; Moran, Patrick S; Harrington, Patricia; Murphy, Linda; O'Neill, Michelle; Whelan, Marty; Teljeur, Conor

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to illustrate the contribution of stakeholder engagement to the impact of health technology assessment (HTA) using an Irish HTA of a national public access defibrillation (PAD) program. In response to draft legislation that proposed a PAD program, the Minister for Health requested that Health Information and Quality Authority undertake an HTA to inform the design and implementation of a national PAD program and the necessary underpinning legislation. The draft legislation outlined a program requiring widespread installation and maintenance of automatic external defibrillators in specified premises. Stakeholder engagement to optimize the impact of the HTA included one-to-one interviews with politicians, engagement with an Expert Advisory Group, public and targeted consultation, and positive media management. The HTA quantified the clinical benefits of the proposed PAD program as modest, identified that substantial costs would fall on small/medium businesses at a time of economic recession, and that none of the programs modeled were cost-effective. The Senator who proposed the Bill actively publicized the HTA process and its findings and encouraged participation in the public consultation. Participation of key stakeholders was important for the quality and acceptability of the HTA findings and advice. Media management promoted public engagement and understanding. The Bill did not progress. The HTA informed the decision not to progress with legislation for a national PAD program. Engagement was tailored to ensure that key stakeholders including politicians and the public were informed of the HTA process, the findings, and the advice, thereby maximizing acceptance. Appropriate stakeholder engagement optimizes the impact of HTA.

The politics of health promotion: influences on public health promoting nursing practice in Ontario, Canada from Nightingale to the nineties.

PubMed

Falk Rafael, A R

1999-09-01

The marked and significant differences in the various meanings ascribed to health promotion in professional literature provide evidence of the concept's evolution over the last half of the 20th century and testify both to the powerful influences of dominant ideologies and the invisibility of others. The "new public health" marks a return to a conceptualization of health that is consistent with a nursing paradigm and thus potentially useful in supporting nursing health promotion practice. To take full advantage of this knowledge, however, it is critical that nurses reclaim their legacy in health promotion, critically appraise outside influences that threaten to undermine their work, and educate the public and other disciplines about nursing's unique focus on health promotion.

Bright Lights: Big Experiments! A Public Engagement Activity for International Year of Light

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Downie, Jonathan; Morton, Jonathan A. S.; McCoustra, Martin R. S.

2017-01-01

The Bright Lights: Big Experiments! public engagement project enabled high school students Scottish S2 to prepare a short, 5 min video using their own words and in their own style to present a scientific experiment on the theme of light to their contemporaries via YouTube. This paper describes the various experiments that we chose to deliver and…

Changing beliefs about leisure noise: using health promotion models to investigate young people's engagement with, and attitudes towards, hearing health.

PubMed

Gilliver, Megan; Beach, Elizabeth Francis; Williams, Warwick

2015-04-01

To investigate factors influencing young people's motivation to reduce their leisure noise exposure, and protect their hearing health. Questionnaires were conducted online to investigate young people's hearing health attitudes and behaviour. Items were developed using an integrated health promotion approach. The stage of change model was used to group participants in relation to their engagement with noise reduction behaviour. The health belief model was used to compare each group's perceptions of susceptibility and severity of hearing loss, as well as the benefits and barriers to noise reduction. Results are presented for 1196 young Australians aged between 18 and 35 years. Participants' engagement with noise reduction behaviour was used to assign them to stage of change groupings: Maintenance (11%), Action (28%), Contemplation (14%), or Pre-contemplation (43%). Each group's responses to health belief model items highlighted key differences across the different stages of engagement. Future hearing health promotion may benefit from tailoring intervention activities to best suit the stage of change of individuals. Different information may be useful at each stage to best support and motivate young people to look after their hearing health.

Building work engagement: A systematic review and meta‐analysis investigating the effectiveness of work engagement interventions

PubMed Central

Patterson, Malcolm; Dawson, Jeremy

2016-01-01

Summary Low work engagement may contribute towards decreased well‐being and work performance. Evaluating, boosting and sustaining work engagement are therefore of interest to many organisations. However, the evidence on which to base interventions has not yet been synthesised. A systematic review with meta‐analysis was conducted to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of work engagement interventions. A systematic literature search identified controlled workplace interventions employing a validated measure of work engagement. Most used the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). Studies containing the relevant quantitative data underwent random‐effects meta‐analyses. Results were assessed for homogeneity, systematic sampling error, publication bias and quality. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria and were categorised into four types of interventions: (i) personal resource building; (ii) job resource building; (iii) leadership training; and (iv) health promotion. The overall effect on work engagement was small, but positive, k = 14, Hedges g = 0.29, 95%‐CI = 0.12–0.46. Moderator analyses revealed a significant result for intervention style, with a medium to large effect for group interventions. Heterogeneity between the studies was high, and the success of implementation varied. More studies are needed, and researchers are encouraged to collaborate closely with organisations to design interventions appropriate to individual contexts and settings, and include evaluations of intervention implementation. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Organizational Behavior published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:28781428

Promoting and Protecting Public Health: How the European Union Pharmacovigilance System Works.

PubMed

Santoro, Aniello; Genov, Georgy; Spooner, Almath; Raine, June; Arlett, Peter

2017-10-01

This article provides an overview of the European Union pharmacovigilance system resulting from the rationalisation and strengthening delivered through the implementation of the revised pharmacovigilance legislation. It outlines the system aims, underlying principles, components and drivers for future change. At its core, the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee is responsible for assessing all aspects of the risk management of medicinal products, thus ensuring that medicines approved for the European Union market are optimally used by maximising their benefits and minimising risks. The main objectives of the system are to promote and protect public health by supporting the availability of medicines including those that fulfil previously unmet medical needs, and reducing the burden of adverse drug reactions. These are achieved through a proactive, risk proportionate and patient-centred approach, with high levels of transparency and engagement of civil society. In the European Union, pharmacovigilance is now fully integrated into the life cycle of medicinal products, with the planning of pharmacovigilance activities commencing before a medicine is placed on the market, and companies encouraged to start planning very early in development for high-innovation products. After authorisation, information on the safety of medicines continues to be obtained through a variety of sources, including spontaneous reports of adverse drug reactions or monitoring real-world data. Finally, the measurement of the impact of pharmacovigilance activities, auditing and inspections, as well as capacity building ensure that the system undergoes continuous improvement and can always rely on the best methodologies to safeguard public health.

How do public health professionals view and engage with research? A qualitative interview study and stakeholder workshop engaging public health professionals and researchers.

PubMed

van der Graaf, Peter; Forrest, Lynne F; Adams, Jean; Shucksmith, Janet; White, Martin

2017-11-22

With increasing financial pressures on public health in England, the need for evidence of high relevance to policy is now stronger than ever. However, the ways in which public health professionals (PHPs) and researchers relate to one another are not necessarily conducive to effective knowledge translation. This study explores the perspectives of PHPs and researchers when interacting, with a view to identifying barriers to and opportunities for developing practice that is effectively informed by research. This research focused on examples from two responsive research schemes, which provide university-based support for research-related enquiries from PHPs: the NIHR SPHR Public Health Practitioner Evaluation Scheme 1 and the responsive research service AskFuse 2 . We examined enquiries that were submitted to both between 2013 and 2015, and purposively selected eight enquiries for further investigation by interviewing the PHPs and researchers involved in these requests. We also identified individuals who were eligible to make requests to the schemes but chose not to do so. In-depth interviews were conducted with six people in relation to the PHPES scheme, and 12 in relation to AskFuse. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic framework analysis. Verification and extension of the findings were sought in a stakeholder workshop. PHPs recognised the importance of research findings for informing their practice. However, they identified three main barriers when trying to engage with researchers: 1) differences in timescales; 2) limited budgets; and 3) difficulties in identifying appropriate researchers. The two responsive schemes addressed some of these barriers, particularly finding the right researchers to work with and securing funding for local evaluations. The schemes also supported the development of new types of evidence. However, other barriers remained, such as differences in timescales and the resources needed to scale-up research. An increased

Engaging students in learning science through promoting creative reasoning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldrip, Bruce; Prain, Vaughan

2017-10-01

Student engagement in learning science is both a desirable goal and a long-standing teacher challenge. Moving beyond engagement understood as transient topic interest, we argue that cognitive engagement entails sustained interaction in the processes of how knowledge claims are generated, judged, and shared in this subject. In this paper, we particularly focus on the initial claim-building aspect of this reasoning as a crucial phase in student engagement. In reviewing the literature on student reasoning and argumentation, we note that the well-established frameworks for claim-judging are not matched by accounts of creative reasoning in claim-building. We develop an exploratory framework to characterise and enact this reasoning to enhance engagement. We then apply this framework to interpret two lessons by two science teachers where they aimed to develop students' reasoning capabilities to support learning.

Nurses' Unique Opportunity to Promote Patient Engagement in Prenatal Care.

PubMed

Dyess-Nugent, Phyllis

2018-01-01

To report an analysis of the concept of patient engagement in prenatal care. Engagement in health care has been widely discussed but vaguely defined. Patients benefit more from their health care when they are fully engaged in their care. Patient engagement in prenatal care is an important element of prenatal care utilization that has not been analyzed, standardized as a concept, or measured. Concept analysis. CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO databases, and the internet were searched for literature published in English with a focus on peer-reviewed journals from disciplines of business, allied health sciences, health administration, psychology, and nursing, focusing on the period of 2010-2015. Hybrid version of the Walker and Avant concept analysis method (2011). This concept analysis provides 4 defining attributes of patient engagement in prenatal care and a table of related empirical referents of engagement. These elements offer a foundation for further nursing scholarship toward measurement and evaluation of patient engagement in prenatal care. Patient engagement in prenatal care represents a human response to a health condition. Efforts to increase patient engagement in health care are best addressed by the nursing profession through continued research and intervention development. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Current Trends in Robot-Assisted Upper-Limb Stroke Rehabilitation: Promoting Patient Engagement in Therapy.

PubMed

Blank, Amy A; French, James A; Pehlivan, Ali Utku; O'Malley, Marcia K

2014-09-01

Stroke is one of the leading causes of long-term disability today; therefore, many research efforts are focused on designing maximally effective and efficient treatment methods. In particular, robotic stroke rehabilitation has received significant attention for upper-limb therapy due to its ability to provide high-intensity repetitive movement therapy with less effort than would be required for traditional methods. Recent research has focused on increasing patient engagement in therapy, which has been shown to be important for inducing neural plasticity to facilitate recovery. Robotic therapy devices enable unique methods for promoting patient engagement by providing assistance only as needed and by detecting patient movement intent to drive to the device. Use of these methods has demonstrated improvements in functional outcomes, but careful comparisons between methods remain to be done. Future work should include controlled clinical trials and comparisons of effectiveness of different methods for patients with different abilities and needs in order to inform future development of patient-specific therapeutic protocols.

Safe and Sound? Scientists’ Understandings of Public Engagement in Emerging Biotechnologies

PubMed Central

Braun, Matthias; Starkbaum, Johannes; Dabrock, Peter

2015-01-01

Science communication is a widely debated issue, particularly in the field of biotechnology. However, the views on the interface between science and society held by scientists who work in the field of emerging biotechnologies are currently insufficiently explored. Therefore filling this gap is one of the urgent desiderata in the further development of a dialogue-oriented model of science-public interaction. Against this background, this article addresses two main questions: (1) How do the persons who work in the field of science perceive the public and its involvement in science? (2) What preferred modes of communication are stressed by those scientists? This research is based on a set of interviews with full professors from the field of biotechnology with a special focus on synthetic biology. The results show that scientists perceive the public as holding a primarily risk-focused view of science. On the one hand, different forms of science communication are thereby either seen as a chance to improve the public acceptance of science in general and one field of research in particular. On the other hand, the exchange with the public is seen as a duty because the whole of society is affected by scientific innovation. Yet, some of the stakeholders’ views discussed here conflict with debates on public engagement in technological innovation. PMID:26660160

Promoting Climate And Data Literacy: University Courses Engaging Students In Effective Teaching, Learning, Communication And Outreach Practices.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halversen, C.; McDonnell, J. D.; Apple, J. K.; Weiss, E. L.

2016-02-01

Two university courses, 1) Promoting Climate Literacy and 2) Climate and Data Literacy, developed by the University of California Berkeley provide faculty across the country with course materials to help their students delve into the science underlying global environmental change. The courses include culturally responsive content, such as indigenous and place-based knowledge, and examine how people learn and consequently, how we should teach and communicate science. Promoting Climate Literacy was developed working with Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Washington, and Western Washington University. Climate and Data Literacy was developed with Rutgers University and Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, WA. The Climate and Data Literacy course also focuses on helping students in science majors participating in U-Teach programs and students in pre-service teacher education programs gain skills in using real and near-real time data through engaging in investigations using web-based and locally-relevant data resources. The course helps these students understand and apply the scientific practices, disciplinary concepts and big ideas described in the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This course focuses on students interested in teaching middle school science for three reasons: (1) teachers often have relatively weak understandings of the practices of science, and of complex Earth systems science and climate change; (2) the concepts that underlie climate change align well with the NGSS; and (3) middle school is a critical time for promoting student interest in science and for recruitment to STEM careers and lifelong climate literacy. This course is now being field tested in a number of U-Teach programs including Florida State University, Louisiana State University, as well as pre-service teacher education programs at California State University East Bay, and Western Washington University

Health promotion in local churches in Victoria: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Ayton, Darshini; Manderson, Lenore; Smith, Ben J; Carey, Gemma

2016-11-01

Church-based health promotion has increasingly gained attention in strategies to address health disparities. In Australia, we have limited understanding of the role of local churches in health promotion and without this, how they might be involved in meaningful partnerships to tackle public health challenges. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore how churches are involved in health promotion in the state of Victoria. The research involved in-depth interviews with ministers from 30 churches in urban and rural Victoria, and case studies with 10 of these churches to enable further exploration. These case studies, conducted in 2010, included interviews with church staff, focus groups with volunteers, participant observation and document analysis. Analysis was iterative, utilising open, axial and thematic coding. Three different expressions of church - traditional, new modern and emerging - were identified and found to differentiate the levels and types of health promotion activity. Case studies illustrate the different expressions of how church mission influences health promotion activity. The traditional churches were involved particularly in disease screening and health education activities with their own, predominantly older congregation members. The new modern churches tended to have the material and human resources to be harnessed in health promotion activities involving congregation members and others. Emerging churches, in contrast, engaged in broad health-promoting activities, including disease prevention, lifestyle activities and socio-ecological approaches at a community level. These research findings highlight the opportunities and challenges of engaging with local churches in health promotion efforts and public health programmes to address health inequities. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Identifying like-minded audiences for global warming public engagement campaigns: an audience segmentation analysis and tool development.

PubMed

Maibach, Edward W; Leiserowitz, Anthony; Roser-Renouf, Connie; Mertz, C K

2011-03-10

Achieving national reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will require public support for climate and energy policies and changes in population behaviors. Audience segmentation--a process of identifying coherent groups within a population--can be used to improve the effectiveness of public engagement campaigns. In Fall 2008, we conducted a nationally representative survey of American adults (n = 2,164) to identify audience segments for global warming public engagement campaigns. By subjecting multiple measures of global warming beliefs, behaviors, policy preferences, and issue engagement to latent class analysis, we identified six distinct segments ranging in size from 7 to 33% of the population. These six segments formed a continuum, from a segment of people who were highly worried, involved and supportive of policy responses (18%), to a segment of people who were completely unconcerned and strongly opposed to policy responses (7%). Three of the segments (totaling 70%) were to varying degrees concerned about global warming and supportive of policy responses, two (totaling 18%) were unsupportive, and one was largely disengaged (12%), having paid little attention to the issue. Certain behaviors and policy preferences varied greatly across these audiences, while others did not. Using discriminant analysis, we subsequently developed 36-item and 15-item instruments that can be used to categorize respondents with 91% and 84% accuracy, respectively. In late 2008, Americans supported a broad range of policies and personal actions to reduce global warming, although there was wide variation among the six identified audiences. To enhance the impact of campaigns, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and businesses seeking to engage the public can selectively target one or more of these audiences rather than address an undifferentiated general population. Our screening instruments are available to assist in that process.

Identifying Like-Minded Audiences for Global Warming Public Engagement Campaigns: An Audience Segmentation Analysis and Tool Development

PubMed Central

Maibach, Edward W.; Leiserowitz, Anthony; Roser-Renouf, Connie; Mertz, C. K.

2011-01-01

Background Achieving national reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will require public support for climate and energy policies and changes in population behaviors. Audience segmentation – a process of identifying coherent groups within a population – can be used to improve the effectiveness of public engagement campaigns. Methodology/Principal Findings In Fall 2008, we conducted a nationally representative survey of American adults (n = 2,164) to identify audience segments for global warming public engagement campaigns. By subjecting multiple measures of global warming beliefs, behaviors, policy preferences, and issue engagement to latent class analysis, we identified six distinct segments ranging in size from 7 to 33% of the population. These six segments formed a continuum, from a segment of people who were highly worried, involved and supportive of policy responses (18%), to a segment of people who were completely unconcerned and strongly opposed to policy responses (7%). Three of the segments (totaling 70%) were to varying degrees concerned about global warming and supportive of policy responses, two (totaling 18%) were unsupportive, and one was largely disengaged (12%), having paid little attention to the issue. Certain behaviors and policy preferences varied greatly across these audiences, while others did not. Using discriminant analysis, we subsequently developed 36-item and 15-item instruments that can be used to categorize respondents with 91% and 84% accuracy, respectively. Conclusions/Significance In late 2008, Americans supported a broad range of policies and personal actions to reduce global warming, although there was wide variation among the six identified audiences. To enhance the impact of campaigns, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and businesses seeking to engage the public can selectively target one or more of these audiences rather than address an undifferentiated general population. Our screening instruments are

The beyond borders initiative: Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and international public health students: engaging partners in cross-cultural learning.

PubMed

Dickson, Michelle; Manalo, Giselle

2014-01-01

The University of Sydney's Graduate Diploma in Indigenous Health Promotion (GDIHP) and Masters of International Public Health (MIPH) students have expressed a consistent desire to engage more with each other through student tutorials or any small group activity. MIPH students have expressed an interest in learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople and their health issues recognising contextual similarities in health priorities and social-cultural determinants. A and TSI students enrolled in the GDIHP have traditionally had very little contact with other students and are often unaware of the innovative solutions implemented in developing countries. Through this inclusive teaching innovation the MIPH and GDIHP programmes utilised diversity in the student population and responded to the University's Strategic Plan to promote and enhance pathways for supporting Indigenous students. This innovation provided an opportunity for both groups to learn more about each other as they develop into globally competitive public health practitioners. The 'Beyond Borders' initiative exposed MIPH and GDIHP students to problem-based learning that incorporated global perspectives as well as focusing on the very specific and unique realities of life in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Both student cohorts reported that the knowledge and skill exchange was highly valuable and contributed to their development as health professionals. This simple yet effective initiative created a sustainable cross-cultural, interdisciplinary and community-oriented partnership that benefited all involved and assisted in addressing health inequities in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and in developing countries.

What makes online substance-use interventions engaging? A systematic review and narrative synthesis

PubMed Central

Milward, Joanna; Drummond, Colin; Fincham-Campbell, Stephanie; Deluca, Paolo

2018-01-01

Background Online substance-use interventions are effective in producing reductions in harmful-use. However, low user engagement rates with online interventions reduces overall effectiveness of interventions. Identifying optimal strategies with which to engage users with online substance-use interventions may improve usage rates and subsequent effectiveness. Objectives (1) To identify the most prevalent engagement promoting strategies utilised to increase use of online substance-use interventions. (2) To determine whether the identified engagement promoting strategies increased said use of online substance-use interventions. Review methods The reviewed followed Cochrane methodology. Databases were searched for online substance-use interventions and engagement promoting strategies limited by study type (randomised controlled trial). Due to heterogeneity between engagement promoting strategies and engagement outcomes, meta-analytic techniques were not possible. Narrative synthesis methods were used. Results Fifteen studies were included. Five different engagement promoting strategies were identified: (1) tailoring; (2) delivery strategies; (3) incentives; (4) reminders; (5) social support. The most frequently reported engagement promoting strategies was tailoring (47% of studies), followed by reminders and social support (40% of studies) and delivery strategies (33% of studies). The narrative synthesis demonstrated that tailoring, multimedia delivery of content and reminders are potential techniques for promoting engagement. The evidence for social support was inconclusive and negative for incentives. Conclusions This review was the first to examine engagement promoting strategies in solely online substance-use interventions. Three strategies were identified that may be integral in promoting engagement with online substance-use interventions. However, the small number of eligible extracted studies, inconsistent reporting of engagement outcomes and diversity of

The Role of Emotional Factors in Building Public Scientific Literacy and Engagement with Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Huann-shyang; Hong, Zuway-R.; Huang, Tai-Chu

2012-01-01

This study uses the database from an extensive international study on 15-year-old students (N = 8,815) to analyze the relationship between emotional factors and students' scientific literacy and explore the potential link between the emotions of the students and subsequent public engagement with science. The results revealed that students'…

Linking public health nursing competencies and service-learning in a global setting.

PubMed

Brown, Cynthia L

2017-09-01

Nurse educators in baccalaureate programs are charged with addressing student competence in public health nursing practice. These educators are also responsible for creating nursing student opportunities for civic engagement and development of critical thinking skills. The IOM report (2010) on the Future of Nursing emphasizes the nurse educator's role in promoting collaborative partnerships that incorporate interdisciplinary and intraprofessional efforts to promote health. The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative approach to address public health nursing competencies and to improve the health and well-being of indigenous populations in a global setting through promotion of collaboration and service- learning principles. As part of a hybrid elective course, baccalaureate nursing students from various nursing tracks participated in a 2 week immersion experience in Belize that included preimmersion preparation. These students were to collaborate among themselves and with Belizean communities to address identified health knowledge deficits and health-related needs for school-aged children and adult populations. Students successfully collaborated in order to meet health-related needs and to engage in health promotion activities in the Toledo district of Belize. They also gained practice in developing public health nursing competencies for entry-level nursing practice. Implementation of service-learning principles provided students with opportunities for civic engagement and self-reflection. Some challenges existed from the students', faculty, and global community's perspectives. Lack of culturally appropriate and country specific health education materials was difficult for students and the community. Faculty encountered challenges in communicating and collaborating with the Belizean partners. Commonalities exist between entry-level public health nursing competencies and service-learning principles. Using service-learning principles in the development of

Community-Engaged Modeling of Geographic and Demographic Patterns of Multiple Public Health Risk Factors

PubMed Central

Basra, Komal; Fabian, M. Patricia; Holberger, Raymond R.; French, Robert

2017-01-01

Many health risk factors are intervention targets within communities, but information regarding high-risk subpopulations is rarely available at a geographic resolution that is relevant for community-scale interventions. Researchers and community partners in New Bedford, Massachusetts (USA) collaboratively identified high-priority behaviors and health outcomes of interest available in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We developed multivariable regression models from the BRFSS explaining variability in exercise, fruit and vegetable consumption, body mass index, and diabetes prevalence as a function of demographic and behavioral characteristics, and linked these models with population microdata developed using spatial microsimulation to characterize high-risk populations and locations. Individuals with lower income and educational attainment had lower rates of multiple health-promoting behaviors (e.g., fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise) and higher rates of self-reported diabetes. Our models in combination with the simulated population microdata identified census tracts with an elevated percentage of high-risk subpopulations, information community partners can use to prioritize funding and intervention programs. Multi-stressor modeling using data from public databases and microsimulation methods for characterizing high-resolution spatial patterns of population attributes, coupled with strong community partner engagement, can provide significant insight for intervention. Our methodology is transferrable to other communities. PMID:28684710

NLR Nod1 signaling promotes survival of BCR-engaged mature B cells through up-regulated Nod1 as a positive outcome

PubMed Central

Asano, Masanao; Li, Yue-Sheng; Núñez, Gabriel

2017-01-01

Although B cell development requires expression of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR), it remains unclear whether engagement of self-antigen provides a positive impact for most B cells. Here, we show that BCR engagement by self-ligand during development in vivo results in up-regulation of the Nod-like receptor member Nod1, which recognizes the products of intestinal commensal bacteria. In anti-thymocyte/Thy-1 autoreactive BCR knock-in mice lacking self–Thy-1 ligand, immunoglobulin light chain editing occurred, generating B cells with up-regulated Nod1, including follicular and marginal zone B cells with natural autoreactivity. This BCR editing with increased Nod1 resulted in preferential survival. In normal adult mice, most mature B cells are enriched for Nod1 up-regulated cells, and signaling through Nod1 promotes competitive survival of mature B cells. These findings demonstrate a role for microbial products in promoting survival of mature B cells through up-regulated Nod1, providing a positive effect of BCR engagement on development of most B cells. PMID:28878001

Promoting Children's Public Participation in Policy-Making through Achievement-Oriented Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gwandure, Calvin; Mayekiso, Thokozile

2013-01-01

This theoretical paper looked at the possibility of incorporating the social learning concept of achievement-oriented behaviour in promoting children's public participation in policy-making in the educational system. The paper highlighted how the concepts of public participation and achievement-oriented education could be used in the governance of…

Citizen science or scientific citizenship? Disentangling the uses of public engagement rhetoric in national research initiatives.

PubMed

Woolley, J Patrick; McGowan, Michelle L; Teare, Harriet J A; Coathup, Victoria; Fishman, Jennifer R; Settersten, Richard A; Sterckx, Sigrid; Kaye, Jane; Juengst, Eric T

2016-06-04

The language of "participant-driven research," "crowdsourcing" and "citizen science" is increasingly being used to encourage the public to become involved in research ventures as both subjects and scientists. Originally, these labels were invoked by volunteer research efforts propelled by amateurs outside of traditional research institutions and aimed at appealing to those looking for more "democratic," "patient-centric," or "lay" alternatives to the professional science establishment. As mainstream translational biomedical research requires increasingly larger participant pools, however, corporate, academic and governmental research programs are embracing this populist rhetoric to encourage wider public participation. We examine the ethical and social implications of this recruitment strategy. We begin by surveying examples of "citizen science" outside of biomedicine, as paradigmatic of the aspirations this democratizing rhetoric was originally meant to embody. Next, we discuss the ways these aspirations become articulated in the biomedical context, with a view to drawing out the multiple and potentially conflicting meanings of "public engagement" when citizens are also the subjects of the science. We then illustrate two uses of public engagement rhetoric to gain public support for national biomedical research efforts: its post-hoc use in the "care.data" project of the National Health Service in England, and its proactive uses in the "Precision Medicine Initiative" of the United States White House. These examples will serve as the basis for a normative analysis, discussing the potential ethical and social ramifications of this rhetoric. We pay particular attention to the implications of government strategies that cultivate the idea that members of the public have a civic duty to participate in government-sponsored research initiatives. We argue that such initiatives should draw from policy frameworks that support normative analysis of the role of citizenry. And

Time for a paradigm shift in how we transfer knowledge? Making the case for translational science and public engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orr, Barron

2015-04-01

By any measure, our efforts to protect and restore the environment have failed to keep pace with environmental change, despite extraordinary scientific advances. Clearly there is a problem in knowledge transfer, which is often blamed on limited public awareness, misunderstanding or even apathy. Whether it's moving research to practice, informing policy, or educating the public on the environmental challenges of our time, our track record is poor. A major part of our failure lies in how scientists and practitioners understand (or misunderstand) and practice knowledge transfer. What actually drives knowledge acquisition and the motivation to gain knowledge, and what does this say about the methods used for knowledge transfer? Is the problem a supply issue (deficit of knowledge) or a demand issue (personal relevance)? The false assumptions that spin out of how we conceptualize knowledge acquisition lead to investment in knowledge transfer balanced heavily in "science communication" and "awareness raising" activities that tend to be unidirectional, top-down, and rarely linked to personal interests. Successful adaptation to environmental change requires a theoretical and practical understanding of coupled natural-human systems as well as advances in bridging knowledge systems and the science-society gap. To be effective, this means a "translational science" approach that promotes the capture and integration of scientific and local knowledge, addresses the influences of scale (biophysically, socially, institutionally), encourages mutual learning among all parties, and builds capacity as part of the process. The facilitation and translation of information and meanings among stakeholders can lead to the co-production of knowledge, more informed decision making, and in a very pragmatic way, more effective use of assessments and other products of scientific discovery. The purpose of this presentation is to shed light on what underlies the majority of investment in knowledge

Making the Blue Zones: Neoliberalism and nudges in public health promotion.

PubMed

Carter, Eric D

2015-05-01

This paper evaluates the ideological and political origins of a place-based and commercial health promotion effort, the Blue Zones Project (BZP), launched in Iowa in 2011. Through critical discourse analysis, I argue that the BZP does reflect a neoliberalization of public health, but as an "actually existing neoliberalism" it emerges from a specific policy context, including dramatic health sector policy changes due to the national Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare; a media discourse of health crisis for an aging Midwestern population; and an effort to refashion Iowa cities as sites of healthy and active living, to retain and attract a creative class of young entrepreneurs. The BZP employs many well-known mechanisms of neoliberal governance: the public-private partnership; competition among communities for "public" funds; promotion of an apolitical discourse on individual responsibility and ownership of health; decentralizing governance to the "community" level; and marketing, branding, and corporate sponsorship of public projects. The BZP exemplifies the process of "neoliberal governmentality," by which individuals learn to govern themselves and their "life projects" in line with a market-based rationality. However, with its emphasis on "nudging" individuals towards healthy behaviors through small changes in the local environment, the BZP reflects the rise of "libertarian paternalism," a variant of neoliberalism, as a dominant ideology underlying contemporary health promotion efforts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mobile Communication and Civil Society: Linking Patterns and Places of Use to Engagement with Others in Public

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Scott W.; Kwak, Nojin

2011-01-01

This study examined whether and how mobile communication influences the extent to which one engages with new people in public settings. Contrary to our expectation, general use of the technology in public did not detract from conversing with strangers. Shifting focus from "where" one uses the mobile phone to "how" it is used, we found that uses…

Fertilizing a Patient Engagement Ecosystem to Innovate Healthcare: Toward the First Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement.

PubMed

Graffigna, Guendalina; Barello, Serena; Riva, Giuseppe; Savarese, Mariarosaria; Menichetti, Julia; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Corbo, Massimo; Tzannis, Alessandra; Aglione, Antonio; Bettega, Donato; Bertoni, Anna; Bigi, Sarah; Bruttomesso, Daniela; Carzaniga, Claudia; Del Campo, Laura; Donato, Silvia; Gilardi, Silvia; Guglielmetti, Chiara; Gulizia, Michele; Lastretti, Mara; Mastrilli, Valeria; Mazzone, Antonino; Muttillo, Giovanni; Ostuzzi, Silvia; Perseghin, Gianluca; Piana, Natalia; Pitacco, Giuliana; Polvani, Gianluca; Pozzi, Massimo; Provenzi, Livio; Quaglini, Giulia; Rossi, Mariagrazia; Varese, Paola; Visalli, Natalia; Vegni, Elena; Ricciardi, Walter; Bosio, A Claudio

2017-01-01

Currently we observe a gap between theory and practices of patient engagement. If both scholars and health practitioners do agree on the urgency to realize patient engagement, no shared guidelines exist so far to orient clinical practice. Despite a supportive policy context, progress to achieve greater patient engagement is patchy and slow and often concentrated at the level of policy regulation without dialoguing with practitioners from the clinical field as well as patients and families. Though individual clinicians, care teams and health organizations may be interested and deeply committed to engage patients and family members in the medical course, they may lack clarity about how to achieve this goal. This contributes to a wide "system" inertia-really difficult to be overcome-and put at risk any form of innovation in this filed. As a result, patient engagement risk today to be a buzz words, rather than a real guidance for practice. To make the field clearer, we promoted an Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement (ICCPE) in order to set the ground for drafting recommendations for the provision of effective patient engagement interventions. The ICCPE will conclude in June 2017. This document reports on the preliminary phases of this process. In the paper, we advise the importance of "fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem": an oversimplifying approach to patient engagement promotion appears the result of a common illusion. Patient "disengagement" is a symptom that needs a more holistic and complex approach to solve its underlined causes. Preliminary principles to promote a patient engagement ecosystem are provided in the paper.

Fertilizing a Patient Engagement Ecosystem to Innovate Healthcare: Toward the First Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement

PubMed Central

Graffigna, Guendalina; Barello, Serena; Riva, Giuseppe; Savarese, Mariarosaria; Menichetti, Julia; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Corbo, Massimo; Tzannis, Alessandra; Aglione, Antonio; Bettega, Donato; Bertoni, Anna; Bigi, Sarah; Bruttomesso, Daniela; Carzaniga, Claudia; Del Campo, Laura; Donato, Silvia; Gilardi, Silvia; Guglielmetti, Chiara; Gulizia, Michele; Lastretti, Mara; Mastrilli, Valeria; Mazzone, Antonino; Muttillo, Giovanni; Ostuzzi, Silvia; Perseghin, Gianluca; Piana, Natalia; Pitacco, Giuliana; Polvani, Gianluca; Pozzi, Massimo; Provenzi, Livio; Quaglini, Giulia; Rossi, Mariagrazia; Varese, Paola; Visalli, Natalia; Vegni, Elena; Ricciardi, Walter; Bosio, A. Claudio

2017-01-01

Currently we observe a gap between theory and practices of patient engagement. If both scholars and health practitioners do agree on the urgency to realize patient engagement, no shared guidelines exist so far to orient clinical practice. Despite a supportive policy context, progress to achieve greater patient engagement is patchy and slow and often concentrated at the level of policy regulation without dialoguing with practitioners from the clinical field as well as patients and families. Though individual clinicians, care teams and health organizations may be interested and deeply committed to engage patients and family members in the medical course, they may lack clarity about how to achieve this goal. This contributes to a wide “system” inertia—really difficult to be overcome—and put at risk any form of innovation in this filed. As a result, patient engagement risk today to be a buzz words, rather than a real guidance for practice. To make the field clearer, we promoted an Italian Consensus Conference on Patient Engagement (ICCPE) in order to set the ground for drafting recommendations for the provision of effective patient engagement interventions. The ICCPE will conclude in June 2017. This document reports on the preliminary phases of this process. In the paper, we advise the importance of “fertilizing a patient engagement ecosystem”: an oversimplifying approach to patient engagement promotion appears the result of a common illusion. Patient “disengagement” is a symptom that needs a more holistic and complex approach to solve its underlined causes. Preliminary principles to promote a patient engagement ecosystem are provided in the paper. PMID:28634455

Voluntarism, public engagement and the role of geoscience in radioactive waste management policy-making

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilham, Nic

2014-05-01

In the UK, as elsewhere in Europe, there has been a move away from previous 'technocratic' approaches to radioactive waste management (RWM). Policy-makers have recognised that for any RWM programme to succeed, sustained engagement with stakeholders and the public is necessary, and any geological repository must be constructed and operated with the willing support of the community which hosts it. This has opened up RWM policy-making and implementation to a wider range of (often contested) expert inputs, ranging across natural and social sciences, engineering and even ethics. Geoscientists and other technical specialists have found themselves drawn into debates about how various types of expertise should be prioritised, and how they should be integrated with diverse public and stakeholder perspectives. They also have a vital role to play in communicating to the public the need for geological disposal of radioactive waste, and the various aspects of geoscience which will inform the process of implementing this, from identifying potential volunteer host communities, to finding a suitable site, developing the safety case, construction of a repository, emplacement of waste, closure and subsequent monitoring. High-quality geoscience, effectively communicated, will be essential to building and maintaining public confidence throughout the many decades such projects will take. Failure to communicate effectively the relevant geoscience and its central role in the UK's radioactive waste management programme arguably contributed to West Cumbria's January 2013 decision to withdraw from the site selection process, and may discourage other communities from coming forward in future. Across countries needing to deal with their radioactive waste, this unique challenge gives an unprecedented urgency to finding ways to engage and communicate effectively with the public about geoscience.

40 CFR 80.125 - Attest engagements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... of Certified Public Accountants, Inc., 1991, and published by the Commerce Clearing House, Inc... Attestation Engagements may be obtained from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Inc... importer subject to the requirements of this subpart F shall engage an independent certified public...

Evaluation of the Role of Public Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement in Stormwater Funding Decisions in New England

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A detailed report examining the role of public outreach and stakeholder engagement in stormwater funding decisions based on the experiences of eleven small and medium-sized communities in New England.

3 CFR - Engaging in Public Health Research on the Causes and Prevention of Gun Violence

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Prevention of Gun Violence Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents Memorandum of January 16, 2013 Engaging in Public Health Research on the Causes and Prevention of Gun Violence Memorandum for the Secretary of Health and Human Services In addition to being a law enforcement challenge, gun violence is...

Eyes wide open: an essay on developing an engaged awareness in global medicine and public health.

PubMed

Ventres, William B; Fort, Meredith P

2014-10-28

There is a growing understanding of the role social determinants such as poverty, gender discrimination, racial prejudice, and economic inequality play on health and illness. While these determinants and effects may be challenging to identify in parts of high-income countries, they are patently obvious in many other areas of the world. How we react to these determinants and effects depends on what historical, cultural, ideological, and psychological characteristics we bring to our encounters with inequity, as well as how our feelings and thoughts inform our values and actions. To address these issues, we share a series of questions we have asked ourselves-United States' citizens with experience living and working in Central America-in relation to our encounters with inequity. We offer a conceptual framework for contemplating responses in hopes of promoting among educators and practitioners in medicine and public health an engaged awareness of how our every day work either perpetuates or breaks down barriers of social difference. We review key moments in our own experiences as global health practitioners to provide context for these questions. Introspective reflection can help professionals in global medicine and public health recognize the dynamic roles that they play in the world. Such reflection can bring us closer to appreciating the forces that have worked both for and in opposition to global health, human rights, and well-being. It can help us recognize how place, time, environment, and context form the social determination of health. It is from this holistic perspective of social relations that we can work to effect fair, equitable, and protective environments as they relate to global medicine and public health.

75 FR 38099 - Establishment of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-01

... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health and Science. ACTION: Notice. AUTHORITY: Executive Order 13544, dated June... Act, Public Law 111-148, dated March 23, 2010. The Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and...

The first bite: Imaginaries, promotional publics and the laboratory grown burger

PubMed Central

O’Riordan, Kate; Fotopoulou, Aristea; Stephens, Neil

2016-01-01

In this article, we analyse a 2013 press conference hosting the world’s first tasting of a laboratory grown hamburger. We explore this as a media event: an exceptional performative moment in which common meanings are mobilised and a connection to a shared centre of reality is offered. We develop our own theoretical contribution – the promotional public – to characterise the affirmative and partial patchwork of carefully selected actors invoked during the burger tasting. Our account draws on three areas of analysis: interview data with the scientists who developed the burger, media analysis of the streamed press conference itself and media analysis of social media during and following the event. We argue that the call to witness an experiment is a form of promotion and that such promotional material also offers an address that invokes a public with its attendant tensions. PMID:27029766

The Role of Labor Unions in Creating Working Conditions That Promote Public Health

PubMed Central

Paras, Claudia Alexandra; Greenwich, Howard; Hagopian, Amy

2016-01-01

We sought to portray how collective bargaining contracts promote public health, beyond their known effect on individual, family, and community well-being. In November 2014, we created an abstraction tool to identify health-related elements in 16 union contracts from industries in the Pacific Northwest. After enumerating the contract-protected benefits and working conditions, we interviewed union organizers and members to learn how these promoted health. Labor union contracts create higher wage and benefit standards, working hours limits, workplace hazards protections, and other factors. Unions also promote well-being by encouraging democratic participation and a sense of community among workers. Labor union contracts are largely underutilized, but a potentially fertile ground for public health innovation. Public health practitioners and labor unions would benefit by partnering to create sophisticated contracts to address social determinants of health. PMID:27077343

Physicians' engagement in dual practices and the effects on labor supply in public hospitals: results from a register-based study.

PubMed

Johannessen, Karl-Arne; Hagen, Terje P

2014-07-10

Physician dual practice, a combination of public and private practice, has attracted attention due to fear of reduced work supply and a lack of key personnel in the public system, increase in low priority treatments, and conflicts of interest for physicians who may be competing for their own patients when working for private suppliers. In this article, we analyze both choice of dual practice among hospital physicians and the dual practices' effect on work supply in public hospitals. The sample consisted of 12,399 Norwegian hospital physicians working in public hospitals between 2001 and 2009. We linked hospital registry data on salaries and hospital working hours with data from national income and other registries covering non-hospital income, including income from dual work, cohabiting status, childbirths and socioeconomic characteristics. Our dataset also included hospital variables describing i.e. workload. We estimated odds ratio for choosing dual practice and the effects of dual practice on public working hours using different versions of mixed models. The percentage of physicians engaged in dual practice fell from 35.1% for men and 17.6% for women in 2001 to 25.0% and 14.2%, respectively, in 2009. For both genders, financial debt and interest payments were positively correlated and having a newborn baby was negatively correlated with engaging in dual practice. Larger family size and being cohabitating increased the odds ratio of dual practice among men but reduced it for women. The most significant internal hospital factor for choosing dual practice was high wages for extended working hours, which significantly reduced the odds ratio for dual practice. The total working hours in public hospitals were similar for both those who did and did not engage in dual practice; however, dual practice reduced public working hours in some specialties. Economic factors followed by family variables are significant elements influencing dual practice. Although our findings

Physicians’ engagement in dual practices and the effects on labor supply in public hospitals: results from a register-based study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Physician dual practice, a combination of public and private practice, has attracted attention due to fear of reduced work supply and a lack of key personnel in the public system, increase in low priority treatments, and conflicts of interest for physicians who may be competing for their own patients when working for private suppliers. In this article, we analyze both choice of dual practice among hospital physicians and the dual practices’ effect on work supply in public hospitals. Methods The sample consisted of 12,399 Norwegian hospital physicians working in public hospitals between 2001 and 2009. We linked hospital registry data on salaries and hospital working hours with data from national income and other registries covering non-hospital income, including income from dual work, cohabiting status, childbirths and socioeconomic characteristics. Our dataset also included hospital variables describing i.e. workload. We estimated odds ratio for choosing dual practice and the effects of dual practice on public working hours using different versions of mixed models. Results The percentage of physicians engaged in dual practice fell from 35.1% for men and 17.6% for women in 2001 to 25.0% and 14.2%, respectively, in 2009. For both genders, financial debt and interest payments were positively correlated and having a newborn baby was negatively correlated with engaging in dual practice. Larger family size and being cohabitating increased the odds ratio of dual practice among men but reduced it for women. The most significant internal hospital factor for choosing dual practice was high wages for extended working hours, which significantly reduced the odds ratio for dual practice. The total working hours in public hospitals were similar for both those who did and did not engage in dual practice; however, dual practice reduced public working hours in some specialties. Conclusion Economic factors followed by family variables are significant elements influencing

Corporate responsibility for childhood physical activity promotion in the UK.

PubMed

Leone, Liliana; Ling, Tom; Baldassarre, Laura; Barnett, Lisa M; Capranica, Laura; Pesce, Caterina

2016-12-01

The alarming epidemic of obesity and physical inactivity at paediatric age urges societies to rise to the challenge of ensuring an active lifestyle. As one response to this, business enterprises are increasingly engaged in promoting sport and physical activity (PA) initiatives within the frame of corporate social responsibility (CSR). However, comparative analyses among industry sectors of CSR strategies for PA promotion with a particular focus on children are still lacking. This study aimed to explore (i) what are the CSR strategies for PA promotion adopted in different industry sectors and (ii) whether corporate engagement in promoting PA for children is supportive of children's rights to play and be physically active. Corporate pledges pertaining to CSR initiatives to promote PA were analysed. The hypothesis was that companies from different sectors employ different CSR strategies and that companies with a higher profile as regard to public health concerns for children tend to legitimate their action by adopting a compensatory strategy. Results show that the issue of PA promotion is largely represented within CSR commitments. CSR strategies for PA promotion vary across industry sectors and the adoption of a compensatory strategy for rising childhood obesity allows only a limited exploitation of the potential of CSR commitments for the provision of children's rights to play and be physically active. Actors within the fields of public health ethics, human rights and CSR should be considered complementary to develop mainstreaming strategies and improve monitoring systems of PA promotion in children. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Using crowdsourcing technology for testing multilingual public health promotion materials.

PubMed

Turner, Anne M; Kirchhoff, Katrin; Capurro, Daniel

2012-06-04

Effective communication of public health messages is a key strategy for health promotion by public health agencies. Creating effective health promotion materials requires careful message design and feedback from representatives of target populations. This is particularly true when the target audiences are hard to reach as limited English proficiency groups. Traditional methods of soliciting feedback--such as focus groups and convenience sample interviews--are expensive and time consuming. As a result, adequate feedback from target populations is often insufficient due to the time and resource constraints characteristic to public health. To describe a pilot study investigating the use of crowdsourcing technology as a method to gather rapid and relevant feedback on the design of health promotion messages for oral health. Our goal was to better describe the demographics of participants responding to a crowdsourcing survey and to test whether crowdsourcing could be used to gather feedback from English-speaking and Spanish-speaking participants in a short period of time and at relatively low costs. We developed health promotion materials on pediatric dental health issues in four different formats and in two languages (English and Spanish). We then designed an online survey to elicit feedback on format preferences and made it available in both languages via the Amazon Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform. We surveyed 236 native English-speaking and 163 native Spanish-speaking participants in less than 12 days, at a cost of US $374. Overall, Spanish-speaking participants originated from a wider distribution of countries than the overall Latino population in the United States. Most participants were in the 18- to 29-year age range and had some college or graduate education. Participants provided valuable input for the health promotion material design. Our results indicate that crowdsourcing can be an effective method for recruiting and gaining feedback from English

Using Crowdsourcing Technology for Testing Multilingual Public Health Promotion Materials

PubMed Central

Kirchhoff, Katrin; Capurro, Daniel

2012-01-01

Background Effective communication of public health messages is a key strategy for health promotion by public health agencies. Creating effective health promotion materials requires careful message design and feedback from representatives of target populations. This is particularly true when the target audiences are hard to reach as limited English proficiency groups. Traditional methods of soliciting feedback—such as focus groups and convenience sample interviews—are expensive and time consuming. As a result, adequate feedback from target populations is often insufficient due to the time and resource constraints characteristic to public health. Objective To describe a pilot study investigating the use of crowdsourcing technology as a method to gather rapid and relevant feedback on the design of health promotion messages for oral health. Our goal was to better describe the demographics of participants responding to a crowdsourcing survey and to test whether crowdsourcing could be used to gather feedback from English-speaking and Spanish-speaking participants in a short period of time and at relatively low costs. Methods We developed health promotion materials on pediatric dental health issues in four different formats and in two languages (English and Spanish). We then designed an online survey to elicit feedback on format preferences and made it available in both languages via the Amazon Mechanical Turk crowdsourcing platform. Results We surveyed 236 native English-speaking and 163 native Spanish-speaking participants in less than 12 days, at a cost of US $374. Overall, Spanish-speaking participants originated from a wider distribution of countries than the overall Latino population in the United States. Most participants were in the 18- to 29-year age range and had some college or graduate education. Participants provided valuable input for the health promotion material design. Conclusions Our results indicate that crowdsourcing can be an effective method for

Engagement and Institutional Advancement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weerts, David; Hudson, Elizabeth

2009-01-01

Research suggests that institutional commitment to community engagement can be understood by examining levels of student, faculty, and community involvement in engagement; organizational structure, rewards, and campus publications supporting engagement; and compatibility of an institution's mission with this work (Holland, 1997). Underlying all of…

80 FR 46010 - Promoting Semantic Interoperability of Laboratory Data; Public Workshop; Request for Comments

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2015-08-03

...] Promoting Semantic Interoperability of Laboratory Data; Public Workshop; Request for Comments AGENCY: Food... workshop entitled ``FDA/CDC/NLM Workshop on Promoting Semantic Interoperability of Laboratory Data.'' The... to promoting the semantic interoperability of laboratory data between in vitro diagnostic devices and...

Impact of community engagement on public acceptance towards waste-to-energy incineration projects: Empirical evidence from China.

PubMed

Liu, Yong; Sun, Chenjunyan; Xia, Bo; Cui, Caiyun; Coffey, Vaughan

2018-06-01

As one of the most popular methods for the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW), waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration offers effective solutions to deal with the MSW surge and globe energy issues. Nevertheless, the construction of WTE facilities faces considerable and strong opposition from local communities due to the perceived potential risks. The present study aims to understand whether, and how, community engagement improves local residents' public acceptance towards waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration facilities using a questionnaire survey conducted with nearby residents of two selected WTE incineration plants located in Zhejiang province, China. The results of data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) reveal that firstly, a lower level of public acceptance exists among local residents of over the age of 35, of lower education levels, living within 3 km from the WTE Plant and from WTE incineration Plants which are under construction. Secondly, the public trust of local government and other authorities was positively associated with the public acceptance of the WTE incineration project, both directly and indirectly based on perceived risk. Thirdly, community engagement can effectively enhance public trust in local government and other authorities related to the WTE incineration project. The findings contribute to the literature on MSW treatment policy-making and potentially hazardous facility siting, by exploring the determinants of public acceptance towards WTE incineration projects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Engagement and Nonusage Attrition With a Free Physical Activity Promotion Program: The Case of 10,000 Steps Australia.

PubMed

Guertler, Diana; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Kirwan, Morwenna; Duncan, Mitch J

2015-07-15

Data from controlled trials indicate that Web-based interventions generally suffer from low engagement and high attrition. This is important because the level of exposure to intervention content is linked to intervention effectiveness. However, data from real-life Web-based behavior change interventions are scarce, especially when looking at physical activity promotion. The aims of this study were to (1) examine the engagement with the freely available physical activity promotion program 10,000 Steps, (2) examine how the use of a smartphone app may be helpful in increasing engagement with the intervention and in decreasing nonusage attrition, and (3) identify sociodemographic- and engagement-related determinants of nonusage attrition. Users (N=16,948) were grouped based on which platform (website, app) they logged their physical activity: Web only, app only, or Web and app. Groups were compared on sociodemographics and engagement parameters (duration of usage, number of individual and workplace challenges started, and number of physical activity log days) using ANOVA and chi-square tests. For a subsample of users that had been members for at least 3 months (n=11,651), Kaplan-Meier survival curves were estimated to plot attrition over the first 3 months after registration. A Cox regression model was used to determine predictors of nonusage attrition. In the overall sample, user groups differed significantly in all sociodemographics and engagement parameters. Engagement with the program was highest for Web-and-app users. In the subsample, 50.00% (5826/11,651) of users stopped logging physical activity through the program after 30 days. Cox regression showed that user group predicted nonusage attrition: Web-and-app users (hazard ratio=0.86, 95% CI 0.81-0.93, P<.001) and app-only users (hazard ratio=0.63, 95% CI 0.58-0.68, P<.001) showed a reduced attrition risk compared to Web-only users. Further, having a higher number of individual challenges (hazard ratio=0.62, 95

Best practices for online Canadian prenatal health promotion: A public health approach.

PubMed

Chedid, Rebecca A; Terrell, Rowan M; Phillips, Karen P

2017-11-04

Prenatal health promotion provides information regarding pregnancy risks, protective behaviours and clinical and community resources. Typically, women obtain prenatal health information from health care providers, prenatal classes, peers/family, media and increasingly, Internet sites and mobile apps. Barriers to prenatal health promotion and related services include language, rural/remote location, citizenship and disability. Online public health platforms represent the capacity to reach underserved women and can be customised to address the needs of a heterogeneous population of pregnant women. Canadian government-hosted websites and online prenatal e-classes were evaluated to determine if accessible, inclusive, comprehensive and evidence-based prenatal health promotion was provided. Using a multijurisdictional approach, federal, provincial/territorial, municipal and public health region-hosted websites, along with affiliated prenatal e-classes, were evaluated based on four criteria: comprehensiveness, evidence-based information, accessibility and inclusivity. Online prenatal e-classes, federal, provincial/territorial and public health-hosted websites generally provided comprehensive and evidence-based promotion of essential prenatal topics, in contrast to municipal-hosted websites which provided very limited prenatal health information. Gaps in online prenatal health promotion were identified as lack of French and multilingual content, targeted information and representations of Indigenous peoples, immigrants and women with disabilities. Canadian online prenatal health promotion is broadly comprehensive and evidence-based, but fails to address the needs of non-Anglophones and represent the diverse population of Canadian pregnant women. It is recommended that agencies enhance the organisation of website pregnancy portals/pages and collaborate with other jurisdictions and community groups to ensure linguistically accessible, culturally-competent and inclusive

Unbalanced progress: The hard road from science popularisation to public engagement with science in China.

PubMed

Jia, Hepeng; Liu, Li

2014-01-01

This article critically traces the development of science communication in China in the past 30 years. While confirming the tremendous progress Chinese science communicators have achieved in popularising science, it argues that the deficit model-based popularisation effort cannot meet the diversifying demands on science in Chinese society. Citing both recent science and technology controversies and active public participation in science pilot initiatives in China, this article concludes that science communication efforts in the country must be focused on constructive dialogues and public engagement with science.

'No one wants to be the face of Herpes London': a qualitative study of the challenges of engaging patients and the public in sexual and reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services.

PubMed

Robinson, Nicola; Lorenc, Ava

2015-04-01

To explore barriers, challenges and best practice within patient and public engagement (PPE) in sexual and reproductive health and HIV (SRHH) services in London. Consultation exercise using qualitative interviews with 27 stakeholders including commissioners, managers, voluntary/community organizations (VCOs) clinicians and patients, analysed using Framework Analysis and Atlas.ti software. Participants recognized PPE's importance, echoing recent political and NHS drives, and highlighted the need for meaningful, empowering PPE, including user-designed methods, peer research and participatory approaches. Although challenging in SRHH and requiring training and support, PPE may help tackle stigma, and promote self-management and patient-centred-care, including peer education and role modelling. Expertise may come from experienced VCOs. Themes in priority order were: organizational commitment (including lack of dedicated staff, time and money); motivating patients; changing NHS philosophy; informing patients/public; using public awareness/education campaigns; overcoming stigma; working with VCOs. 'Reaching out' to engage underrepresented groups in this sensitive area was emphasized through community outreach, incentivization and linking with existing organizations. Making engagement easy and addressing issues of public value were also important. Stigma was less hindering than anticipated, except for ethnic minorities. PPE was seen to improve patient satisfaction, increase service uptake and reduce inequalities, key priorities in SRHH, and identify innovative service delivery ideas. PPE is crucial in creating a patient-led NHS and responsible society. If organizations, including the NHS, commit to implementing meaningful PPE which actively targets those at risk of poor SRHH, services can be truly patient-led and patients and communities empowered to tackle the stigma of SRHH. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Reflectiveness, Adaptivity, and Support: How Teacher Agency Promotes Student Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Kristy S.; Kintz, Tara; Miness, Andrew

2016-01-01

We examine how teachers whom students identified as being relatively more or less engaging spoke differently about how they use information on student engagement to inform their teaching. Using 3 years of data from teacher focus groups in which 21 teachers discussed their perceptions of student engagement and reactions to annual student surveys,…

Public health strategies promoting physical activity and healthy eating in Canada: are we changing paradigms?

PubMed

Maximova, Katerina; Hanusaik, Nancy; Kishchuk, Natalie; Paradis, Gilles; O'Loughlin, Jennifer L

2016-06-01

To compare the extent to which Canadian public health organizations incorporated the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion action areas in promoting physical activity and healthy eating in 2004 and 2010. Data were available from repeat censuses of all regional, provincial, and national organizations with mandates to promote physical activity [n = 134 (2004); n = 118 (2010)] or healthy eating [n = 137 (2004); n = 130 (2010)]. Eleven strategies to promote these behaviors were grouped according to the five action areas. Descriptive analyses were conducted to document the level of involvement in each action area over time. The proportion of organizations promoting physical activity and "heavily involved" in creating supportive environments increased from 51 % (2004) to 70 % (2010). The proportion also increased for reorienting health services (29 % to 39 %). The proportion of organizations promoting healthy eating and "heavily involved" in building healthy public policy increased from 47 to 53 %. Individual skill building remained stable for physical activity but declined for healthy eating. While developing personal skills remains important in promoting physical activity and healthy eating in Canada, public health organizations increased involvement in structural-level strategies.

Public Relations Models and Dialogic Communication in the Twitterverse: An Analysis of How Colleges and Universities Are Engaging Their Public through Twitter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beverly, Jason Antwuan

2013-01-01

Colleges and universities throughout this world are realizing the importance of engaging in and building mutually-beneficial relationships with their key publics through social media. The introduction of the microblogging tool known as Twitter extends the use of social media in higher education, beyond the classroom, and into the realm of public…

77 FR 42313 - Recharter of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-18

... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Corinne Graffunder... Integrative and Public Health (the ``Advisory Group'') within the Department of Health and Human Services. To...

A National Agenda for Public Health Informatics

PubMed Central

Yasnoff, William A.; Overhage, J. Marc; Humphreys, Betsy L.; LaVenture, Martin

2001-01-01

The AMIA 2001 Spring Congress brought together members of the the public health and informatics communities to develop a national agenda for public health informatics. Discussions of funding and governance; architecture and infrastructure; standards and vocabulary; research, evaluation, and best practices; privacy, confidentiality, and security; and training and workforce resulted in 74 recommendations with two key themes—that all stakeholders need to be engaged in coordinated activities related to public health information architecture, standards, confidentiality, best practices, and research; and that informatics training is needed throughout the public health workforce. Implementation of this consensus agenda will help promote progress in the application of information technology to improve public health. PMID:11687561

Applied neuroanatomy elective to reinforce and promote engagement with neurosensory pathways using interactive and artistic activities.

PubMed

Dao, Vinh; Yeh, Pon-Hsiu; Vogel, Kristine S; Moore, Charleen M

2015-01-01

One in six Americans is currently affected by neurologic disease. As the United States population ages, the number of neurologic complaints is expected to increase. Thus, there is a pressing need for more neurologists as well as more neurology training in other specialties. Often interest in neurology begins during medical school, so improving education in medical neural courses is a critical step toward producing more neurologists and better neurology training in other specialists. To this end, a novel applied neuroanatomy elective was designed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) to complement the traditional first-year medical neuroscience course and promote engagement and deep learning of the material with a focus on neurosensory pathways. The elective covered four neurosensory modalities (proprioception/balance, vision, auditory, and taste/olfaction) over four sessions, each with a short classroom component and a much longer activity component. At each session, students reviewed the neurosensory pathways through structured presentations and then applied them to preplanned interactive activities, many of which allowed students to utilize their artistic talents. Students were required to complete subjective pre-course and post-course surveys and reflections. The survey results and positive student comments suggest that the elective was a valuable tool when used in parallel with the traditional medical neuroscience course in promoting engagement and reinforcement of the neurosensory material. © 2014 American Association of Anatomists.

Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health Equity

PubMed Central

Hahn, Robert A.; Truman, Benedict I.

2015-01-01

This article describes a framework and empirical evidence to support the argument that educational programs and policies are crucial public health interventions. Concepts of education and health are developed and linked, and we review a wide range of empirical studies to clarify pathways of linkage and explore implications. Basic educational expertise and skills, including fundamental knowledge, reasoning ability, emotional self-regulation, and interactional abilities, are critical components of health. Moreover, education is a fundamental social determinant of health – an upstream cause of health. Programs that close gaps in educational outcomes between low-income or racial and ethnic minority populations and higher-income or majority populations are needed to promote health equity. Public health policy makers, health practitioners and educators, and departments of health and education can collaborate to implement educational programs and policies for which systematic evidence indicates clear public health benefits. PMID:25995305

Education Improves Public Health and Promotes Health Equity.

PubMed

Hahn, Robert A; Truman, Benedict I

2015-01-01

This article describes a framework and empirical evidence to support the argument that educational programs and policies are crucial public health interventions. Concepts of education and health are developed and linked, and we review a wide range of empirical studies to clarify pathways of linkage and explore implications. Basic educational expertise and skills, including fundamental knowledge, reasoning ability, emotional self-regulation, and interactional abilities, are critical components of health. Moreover, education is a fundamental social determinant of health - an upstream cause of health. Programs that close gaps in educational outcomes between low-income or racial and ethnic minority populations and higher-income or majority populations are needed to promote health equity. Public health policy makers, health practitioners and educators, and departments of health and education can collaborate to implement educational programs and policies for which systematic evidence indicates clear public health benefits. © The Author(s) 2015.

Lessons we are learning: using participatory action research to integrate palliative care, health promotion and public health through the DöBra research program in Sweden.

PubMed

Tishelman, Carol

2018-01-01

Public health and health promotion approaches to end-of-life (EoL) research and care are still rare in Sweden. People remain generally ill-prepared for encounters with death and unable to advocate for quality EoL care; this may be reflected in Sweden's low scores for community engagement in the 2015 Quality of Death index. We have consolidated our endeavours into a cohesive national transdisciplinary research program, DöBra (a pun meaning both 'dying well' and 'awesome' in Swedish). In DöBra, we investigate how culture, the environment and conversation can promote constructive change and support better quality of life and death among the general population, in specific subgroups and in interventions directed to staff caring for dying individuals, their friends and families. DöBra uses ideas from new public health and the Ottawa Charter as umbrella theoretical frameworks and participatory action research as an overarching methodological approach. In DöBra we aim to achieve change in communities in a broad sense. In this interactive workshop, we therefore focus on the particular challenges we encounter in conducting stringent research when trying to catalyse, rather than control, change processes. We will share our ideas, experiences, reflections, tools and approaches as well as results, related to using a variety of strategies to bring together a broad range of stakeholders to co-create experience-based evidence through innovative approaches. We begin by linking theory, research and practice through discussion of the overarching ideas and individual projects, with the second part of the session based on audience engagement with various tools used in DöBra.

Earned Media and Public Engagement With CDC’s "Tips From Former Smokers" Campaign: An Analysis of Online News and Blog Coverage

PubMed Central

Kornfield, Rachel; Szczypka, Glen; Vera, Lisa; Emery, Sherry

2015-01-01

Background In March 2012, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the first-ever paid national tobacco education campaign. At a cost of US $54 million, “Tips from Former Smokers” (Tips) ran for 3 months across multiple media, depicting the suffering experienced by smokers and their families in graphic detail. The potential impact and reach of the Tips campaign was not limited to that achieved through paid media placements. It was also potentially extended through “earned media”, including news and blog coverage of the campaign. Such coverage can shape public understanding of and facilitate public engagement with key health issues. Objective To better understand the contribution of earned media to the public’s engagement with health issues in the current news media environment, we examined the online “earned media” and public engagement generated by one national public health campaign. Methods We constructed a purposive sample of online media coverage of the CDC’s 2012 Tips from Former Smokers television campaign, focusing on 14 influential and politically diverse US news outlets and policy-focused blogs. We identified relevant content by combining campaign and website-specific keywords for 4 months around the campaign release. Each story was coded for content, inclusion of multimedia, and measures of audience engagement. Results The search yielded 36 stories mentioning Tips, of which 27 were focused on the campaign. Story content between pieces was strikingly similar, with most stories highlighting the same points about the campaign’s content, cost, and potential impact. We saw notable evidence of audience engagement; stories focused on Tips generated 9547 comments, 8891 Facebook “likes”, 1027 tweets, and 505 story URL shares on Facebook. Audience engagement varied by story and site, as did the valence and relevance of associated audience comments. Comments were most oppositional on CNN and most supportive on Yahoo

Engagement in health and wellness: An online incentive-based program.

PubMed

Gibson, Teresa B; Maclean, J Ross; Carls, Ginger S; Moore, Brian J; Ehrlich, Emily D; Fener, Victoria; Goldberg, Jordan; Mechanic, Elaine; Baigel, Colin

2017-09-01

Increasingly, corporate health promotion programs are implementing wellness programs integrating principles of behavioral economics. Employees of a large firm were provided a customized online incentive program to design their own commitments to meet health goals. This study examines patterns of program participation and engagement in health promotion activities. Subjects were US-based employees of a large, nondurable goods manufacturing firm who were enrolled in corporate health benefits in 2010 and 2011. We assessed measures of engagement with the workplace health promotion program (e.g., incentive points earned, weight loss). To further examine behaviors indicating engagement in health promotion activities, we constructed an aggregate, employee-level engagement index. Regression models were employed to assess the association between employee characteristics and the engagement index, and the engagement index and spending. 4220 employees utilized the online program and made 25,716 commitments. Male employees age 18-34 had the highest level of engagement, and male employees age 55-64 had the lowest level of engagement overall. Prior year health status and prior year spending did not show a significant association with the level of engagement with the program ( p  > 0.05). Flexible, incentive-based behavioral health and lifestyle programs may reach the broader workforce including those with chronic conditions and higher levels of health spending.

Rules of engagement: predictors of Black Caribbean immigrants' engagement with African American culture.

PubMed

Joseph, Nancy; Watson, Natalie N; Wang, Zhenni; Case, Andrew D; Hunter, Carla D

2013-10-01

The cultural context in the United States is racialized and influences Black Caribbean immigrants' acculturation processes, but what role it plays in Black Caribbean immigrants' acculturation into specific facets of American society (e.g., African American culture) has been understudied in the field of psychology. The present study extends research on Black Caribbean immigrants' acculturative process by assessing how this group's experience of the racial context (racial public regard, ethnic public regard, and cultural race-related stress) influences its engagement in African American culture (i.e., adoption of values and behavioral involvement). Data were collected from 93 Black participants of Caribbean descent, ranging in age from 13 to 45 and analyzed using a stepwise hierarchical regression. The findings highlighted that when Black Caribbean-descended participants perceived that the public held a favorable view of their racial group they were more likely to engage in African American culture. In contrast, when participants perceived that the public held a favorable view of their ethnic group (e.g., Haitian) they were less likely to engage in African American culture. Furthermore, among participants experiencing low levels of cultural race-related stress, the associations between racial public regard and engagement with African American culture were amplified. However, for participants experiencing high cultural race-related stress, their engagement in African American culture did not change as a function of racial public regard. These findings may suggest that, for Black Caribbean immigrants, the experience of the racial context influences strategies that serve to preserve or bolster their overall social status and psychological well-being in the United States. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved.

The role of implied motion in engaging audiences for health promotion: encouraging naps on a college campus.

PubMed

Mackert, Michael; Lazard, Allison; Guadagno, Marie; Hughes Wagner, Jessica

2014-01-01

Lack of sleep among college students negatively impacts health and academic outcomes. Building on research that implied motion imagery increases brain activity, this project tested visual design strategies to increase viewers' engagement with a health communication campaign promoting napping to improve sleep habits. PARTICIPANTS (N = 194) were recruited from a large southwestern university in October 2012. Utilizing an experimental design, participants were assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: an implied motion superhero spokes-character, a static superhero spokes-character, and a control group. The use of implied motion did not achieve the hypothesized effect on message elaboration, but superheroes are a promising persuasive tool for health promotion campaigns for college audiences. Implications for sleep health promotion campaigns and the role of implied motion in message design strategies are discussed, as well as future directions for research on the depiction of implied motion as it relates to theoretical development.

GIS walking maps to promote physical activity in low-income public housing communities: a qualitative examination.

PubMed

McNeill, Lorna H; Emmons, Karen

2012-01-01

Walking is the most commonly reported leisure-time activity. Members of racial/ethnic minority groups and people of low socioeconomic status disproportionately live in urban environments that are perceived to be unsafe, thereby reducing opportunities for engaging in walking. We examined the use of walking maps for increasing physical activity (PA) among low-income residents of public housing sites in Boston, Massachusetts. PA facilities, local businesses, and destinations in a walkable half-mile radius of the housing community were identified and plotted on maps by using geographic information systems technology. Four focus groups (n = 24) were conducted to learn how the walking maps were used by the residents and to understand map features that promoted use. Maps were used by participants to increase their PA, and use of the maps increased participants' awareness of community resources. Maps changed participants' perception of distances and were discussed as a means of fostering a sense of community. Use of the maps also increased participants' awareness of neighborhood incivilities. Barriers to map use were difficulty in interpreting the maps and lack of access to the maps. Walking maps that display PA opportunities and resources may be useful in increasing walking among residents of public housing sites.

Educating for Civic Engagement: Public Achievement as a Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costello, Bernadette Christine

Over the last four decades there is evidence that citizens are less civically engaged, have less trust in each other and governmental institutions, and are less prepared to participate in deliberative and civic processes. This research studies the importance of acquiring deliberative and civic skills and behaviors as an integral part of civic engagement and developing educational and learning strategies to impart those skills and behaviors in an educational environment. This research uses a civic action program called Public Achievement (PA) as a case study to investigate if participating in a civic and deliberative focused program enables participants to continue to use the skills and behaviors learned in PA in non-PA activities. The research study was focused by a literature review of philosophical frameworks, educational history in the United States, and educational theory. The literature review and examples of learning civic skills and behaviors in secondary and higher educational institutions are examined to frame the analysis of PA. Based on the literature review and the design of PA, constructs and a survey instrument were developed to test the hypothesis that students who participate in PA will be more likely to exhibit civic skills and behaviors than students who did not participate in PA. The research was conducted with two schools in rural Missouri, two schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and two schools in St. Paul, Minnesota. The study results show that students who participated in PA were not more likely to exhibit civic skills and behaviors, and in many cases, non-PA students exhibited civic skills and behaviors more often. The findings revealed that there are programmatic, organizational, and societal barriers that may impede the effectiveness of PA. The findings suggest that implementation of civic engagement programs may be more effective when the effort is supported and reinforced by and across all parts of the organization, organizational

77 FR 15372 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-15

... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

76 FR 67731 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-02

... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

76 FR 26300 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-06

... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

76 FR 58007 - Meeting of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-19

... Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the... Public Health Service. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 10(a) of the Federal Advisory... scheduled to be held for the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public...

Physics Bus: An Innovative Model for Public Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox, Claire

The Physics Bus is about doing science for fun. It is an innovative model for science outreach whose mission is to awaken joy and excitement in physics for all ages and walks of life - especially those underserved by science enrichment. It is a mobile exhibition of upcycled appliances-reimagined by kids-that showcase captivating physics phenomena. Inside our spaceship-themed school bus, visitors will find: a microwave ionized-gas disco-party, fog rings that shoot from a wheelbarrow tire, a tv whose electron beam is controlled by a toy keyboard, and over 20 other themed exhibits. The Physics Bus serves a wide range of public in diverse locations from local neighborhoods, urban parks and rural schools, to cross-country destinations. Its approachable, friendly and relaxed environment allows for self-paced and self-directed interactions, providing a positive and engaging experience with science. We believe that this environment enriches lives and inspires people. In this presentation we will talk about the nuts and bolts that make this model work, how the project got started, and the resources that keep it going. We will talk about the advantages of being a grassroots and community-based organization, and how programs like this can best interface with universities. We will explain the benefits of focusing on direct interactions and why our model avoids ``teaching'' physics content with words. Situating our approach within a body of research on the value of informal science we will discuss our success in capturing and engaging our audience. By the end of this presentation we hope to broaden your perception of what makes a successful outreach program and encourage you to value and support alternative outreach models such as this one. In Collaboration with: Eva Luna, Cornell University; Erik Herman, Cornell University; Christopher Bell, Ithaca City School District.

Understanding Public Engagement in Water Conservation Behaviors and Knowledge of Water Policy: Promising Hints for Extension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Pei-wen; Lamm, Alexa J.

2015-01-01

Sustaining water resources is a primary issue facing Florida Extension. The study reported here identified how experience with water issues and familiarity with water policies affected individuals' engagement in water conservation behaviors. A public opinion survey was conducted online to capture Florida residents' responses. The findings…

29 CFR 553.213 - Public agency employees engaged in both fire protection and law enforcement activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... regardless of how the employee's time is divided between the two activities. However, all time spent in... spends the majority of work time during the work period. ... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Public agency employees engaged in both fire protection and...

From Outreach to Engaged Placemaking: Understanding Public Land-Grant University Involvement with Tourism Planning and Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herts, Rolando D.

2013-01-01

This dissertation research project aimed to identify benefits and drawbacks of public land-grant university involvement with tourism planning and development, an emergent form of university-community engagement. Using qualitative methodology, the study's findings led to the codification of levels of university tourism planning and development…

Leveraging Social Media to Promote Public Health Knowledge: Example of Cancer Awareness via Twitter

PubMed Central

Costello, Kaitlin L; Xing, Cathleen Y; Demissie, Kitaw

2016-01-01

Background As social media becomes increasingly popular online venues for engaging in communication about public health issues, it is important to understand how users promote knowledge and awareness about specific topics. Objective The aim of this study is to examine the frequency of discussion and differences by race and ethnicity of cancer-related topics among unique users via Twitter. Methods Tweets were collected from April 1, 2014 through January 21, 2015 using the Twitter public streaming Application Programming Interface (API) to collect 1% of public tweets. Twitter users were classified into racial and ethnic groups using a new text mining approach applied to English-only tweets. Each ethnic group was then analyzed for frequency in cancer-related terms within user timelines, investigated for changes over time and across groups, and measured for statistical significance. Results Observable usage patterns of the terms "cancer", "breast cancer", "prostate cancer", and "lung cancer" between Caucasian and African American groups were evident across the study period. We observed some variation in the frequency of term usage during months known to be labeled as cancer awareness months, particularly September, October, and November. Interestingly, we found that of the terms studied, "colorectal cancer" received the least Twitter attention. Conclusions The findings of the study provide evidence that social media can serve as a very powerful and important tool in implementing and disseminating critical prevention, screening, and treatment messages to the community in real-time. The study also introduced and tested a new methodology of identifying race and ethnicity among users of the social media. Study findings highlight the potential benefits of social media as a tool in reducing racial and ethnic disparities. PMID:27227152

Leveraging Social Media to Promote Public Health Knowledge: Example of Cancer Awareness via Twitter.

PubMed

Xu, Songhua; Markson, Christopher; Costello, Kaitlin L; Xing, Cathleen Y; Demissie, Kitaw; Llanos, Adana Am

2016-01-01

As social media becomes increasingly popular online venues for engaging in communication about public health issues, it is important to understand how users promote knowledge and awareness about specific topics. The aim of this study is to examine the frequency of discussion and differences by race and ethnicity of cancer-related topics among unique users via Twitter. Tweets were collected from April 1, 2014 through January 21, 2015 using the Twitter public streaming Application Programming Interface (API) to collect 1% of public tweets. Twitter users were classified into racial and ethnic groups using a new text mining approach applied to English-only tweets. Each ethnic group was then analyzed for frequency in cancer-related terms within user timelines, investigated for changes over time and across groups, and measured for statistical significance. Observable usage patterns of the terms "cancer", "breast cancer", "prostate cancer", and "lung cancer" between Caucasian and African American groups were evident across the study period. We observed some variation in the frequency of term usage during months known to be labeled as cancer awareness months, particularly September, October, and November. Interestingly, we found that of the terms studied, "colorectal cancer" received the least Twitter attention. The findings of the study provide evidence that social media can serve as a very powerful and important tool in implementing and disseminating critical prevention, screening, and treatment messages to the community in real-time. The study also introduced and tested a new methodology of identifying race and ethnicity among users of the social media. Study findings highlight the potential benefits of social media as a tool in reducing racial and ethnic disparities.

The Engaged Community College: Supporting the Institutionalization of Engagement through Collaborative Action Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purcell, Jennifer W.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this action research study was to explore how community colleges increase their capacity for community engagement. Faculty and staff members who were identified as community engagement leaders within a public community college participated in a series of interventions to improve community engagement practices within the college. The…

The Distinctive Mission of Catholic Colleges & Universities and Faculty Reward Policies for Community Engagement: Aspirational or Operational?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Joan

2017-01-01

College and university mission statements commonly declare contributions for the public good and the development of engaged and responsible citizens as central to their institution's work. Yet, a different narrative is often revealed when rhetoric meets reality in the promotion and tenure policies for faculty. Since Ernest Boyer's seminal work…

Distinctiveness, Deference and Dominance in Black Caribbean Fathers' Engagement with Public Schools in London and New York City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Derron

2017-01-01

In the US and UK, Black fatherhood has long been steeped in narratives of pathology. Despite the promotion of nuanced understandings of Black fatherhood in recent scholarship, research on Black fathers' positive engagement with urban schools remains remarkably limited. This article adds to the literature by highlighting the strategies Black…

Alzheimer's disease public-private partnerships: update 2014.

PubMed

Snyder, Heather M; Kim, Hye; Bain, Lisa J; Egge, Robert; Carrillo, Maria C

2014-11-01

The National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease highlights the need for coordinated public-private partnerships. In recent years, the number of collaborations and consortia have expanded and grown in Alzheimer's research. The Alzheimer's Association compiles this annually updated compendium to centralize this inventory of partnerships in an effort to synergize these activities. This manuscript reflects the 2014 landscape of non-profit organizations who engage in public-private partnerships to promote and support dementia research. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Using social media to enhance career development opportunities for health promotion professionals.

PubMed

Roman, Leah A

2014-07-01

For health promotion professionals, social media offers many ways to engage with a broader range of colleagues; participate in professional development events; promote expertise, products, or services; and learn about career-enhancing opportunities such as funding and fellowships. Previous work has recommended "building networking into what you are already doing." This article provides updated and new social media resources, as well as practical examples and strategies to promote effective use of social media. Social media offers health promotion professionals cost-effective opportunities to enhance their career by building communities of practice, participating in professional development events, and enriching classroom learning. Developing the skills necessary to use social media for networking is important in the public health workforce, especially as social media is increasingly used in academic and practice settings. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Public Health Employees' Perception of Workplace Environment and Job Satisfaction: The Role of Local Health Departments' Engagement in Accreditation.

PubMed

Ye, Jiali; Verma, Pooja; Leep, Carolyn; Kronstadt, Jessica

To examine the association between local health departments' (LHDs') engagement in accreditation and their staffs' perceptions of workplace environment and the overall satisfaction with their jobs. Data from the 2014 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) (local data only) and the 2014 Forces of Change survey were linked using LHDs' unique ID documented by the National Association of County & City Health Officials. The Forces of Change survey assessed LHDs' accreditation status. Local health departments were classified as "formally engaged" in the Public Health Accreditation Board accreditation process if they had achieved accreditation, submitted an application, or submitted a statement of intent. The PH WINS survey measured employees' perception of 3 aspects of workplace environment, including supervisory support, organizational support, and employee engagement. The overall satisfaction was measured using the Job in General Scale (abridged). There are 1884 LHD employees who completed PH WINS and whose agencies responded to the question on the accreditation status of the Forces of Change survey. When compared with employees from LHDs less engaged in accreditation, employees from LHDs that were formally engaged in accreditation gave higher ratings to all 3 aspects of workplace environment and overall job satisfaction. Controlling for employee demographic characteristics and LHD jurisdiction size, the agency's formal engagement in accreditation remained related to a higher score in perceived workplace environment and job satisfaction. After controlling for perceived workplace environment, accreditation status was marginally associated with job satisfaction. The findings provide support for previous reports by LHD leaders on the benefits of accreditation related to employee morale and job satisfaction. The results from this study allow us to further catalog the benefits of accreditation in workforce development and identify factors that may

Engagement of adolescents in a health communications program to prevent noncommunicable diseases: Multiplicadores Jóvenes, Lima, Peru, 2011.

PubMed

Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Boeren, Yulissa; Quispe, Renato; Chiang, Mey Lin; Miranda, J Jaime

2015-03-05

Several risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including obesity, are associated with behaviors established in infancy that persist throughout adolescence and adulthood. As such, adolescents should be engaged in the design and implementation of NCD prevention strategies. In Lima, Peru's capital, the proportion of adolescents aged 15 to 19 is 9.3% of the city's population, and school enrollment rates are high. The prevalence of excess weight in Peruvian adolescents is 14.2%, and prevalence has not declined in recent years. Also recently, NCDs and their risk factors have gained more attention in public health and policy areas, with regulatory action focusing on healthful nutrition to address obesity and related NCDs. The Multiplicadores Jóvenes (Young Multipliers) project was conducted among adolescents aged 15 to 17 from 9 public secondary schools in peri-urban areas of Lima, Peru. The project provided basic communication tools and knowledge of NCD prevention and public health research to adolescents during 16 weekly participatory sessions to enable them to design and disseminate healthful lifestyle promotion messages to their school peers. Thirty of 45 participants finished the program. Seven communications campaigns were designed and implemented in schools, reaching 1,200 students. The participants gained motivation, increased knowledge, and developed communication skills that were combined to implement healthful lifestyle promotion campaigns. Engaging young people in public health promotion activities was feasible and advantageous for the design of tailored prevention-related content and its dissemination among peers.

Public Participation, Education, and Engagement in Drought Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bathke, D. J.; Wall, N.; Haigh, T.; Smith, K. H.; Bernadt, T.

2014-12-01

Drought is a complex problem that typically goes beyond the capacity, resources, and jurisdiction of any single person, program, organization, political boundary, or sector. Thus, by nature, monitoring, planning for, and reducing drought risk must be a collaborative process. The National Drought Mitigation Center, in partnership with the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) Program Office and others, provides active engagement and education drought professionals, stakeholders, and the general public about managing drought-related risks through resilience planning, monitoring, and education. Using case studies, we discuss recruitment processes, network building, participation techniques, and educational methods as they pertain to a variety of unique audiences with distinct objectives. Examples include collaborative decision-making at a World Meteorological Organization conference; planning, and peer-learning among drought professionals in a community of practice; drought condition monitoring through citizen science networks; research and education dissemination with stakeholder groups; and informal learning activities for all ages. Finally, we conclude with evaluation methods, indicators of success, and lessons learned for increasing the effectiveness of our programs in increasing drought resilience.

PlanetQuest: Engaging the Public and Students in NASA's Search for New Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, M.; Danner, R.

2003-12-01

NASA's Navigator Program consists of four ground-breaking missions that span a twenty-five year time horizon. Two space-based and two ground-based missions will contribute to the overall goal of detecting and characterizing Earth-like planets around stars other than the Sun. The Keck Interferometer began its science mission in 2002, and the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer will become operational in 2006, while the two space-based missions, the Space Interferometry Mission and the Terrestrial Planet Finder, will launch in 2009 and 2015 respectively. The science operations and analysis of all missions will be supported by the Michelson Science Center, operated by the California Institute of Technology. Navigator Public Engagement initiatives (which can also be found under the heading of "PlanetQuest") span the areas of formal education, informal education, and general public outreach. Two initiatives-improving astronomy instruction at community colleges, and the "Night Sky Network: Engaging Amateur Astronomy Clubs"-stand out as significant new investments for Navigator, and may serve as platforms for the participation of more NASA missions in the future. Other programs involve creating activities for "girls in science," continuing to support minority university research experiences, and developing museum exhibits, a planetarium show and other visualizations. The core values of all Navigator E/PO initiatives include involving scientists and engineers, creating effective partnerships, reaching underserved populations, and evaluating and measuring program impact.

More than just tracking time: Complex measures of user engagement with an internet-based health promotion intervention.

PubMed

Baltierra, Nina B; Muessig, Kathryn E; Pike, Emily C; LeGrand, Sara; Bull, Sheana S; Hightow-Weidman, Lisa B

2016-02-01

There has been a rise in internet-based health interventions without a concomitant focus on new methods to measure user engagement and its effect on outcomes. We describe current user tracking methods for internet-based health interventions and offer suggestions for improvement based on the design and pilot testing of healthMpowerment.org (HMP). HMP is a multi-component online intervention for young Black men and transgender women who have sex with men (YBMSM/TW) to reduce risky sexual behaviors, promote healthy living and build social support. The intervention is non-directive, incorporates interactive features, and utilizes a point-based reward system. Fifteen YBMSM/TW (age 20-30) participated in a one-month pilot study to test the usability and efficacy of HMP. Engagement with the intervention was tracked using a customized data capture system and validated with Google Analytics. Usage was measured in time spent (total and across sections) and points earned. Average total time spent on HMP was five hours per person (range 0-13). Total time spent was correlated with total points earned and overall site satisfaction. Measuring engagement in internet-based interventions is crucial to determining efficacy. Multiple methods of tracking helped derive more comprehensive user profiles. Results highlighted the limitations of measures to capture user activity and the elusiveness of the concept of engagement. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Brief Evaluation of a Project to Engage American Indian Young People as Agents of Change in Health Promotion Through Radio Programming, Arizona, 2009-2013.

PubMed

Chico-Jarillo, Tara M; Crozier, Athena; Teufel-Shone, Nicolette I; Hutchens, Theresa; George, Miranda

2016-02-11

Young people can be valuable motivational resources for health promotion. A project implemented from 2009 through 2013 in a small American Indian community in northwest Arizona recruited American Indian young people aged 10 to 21 as agents of change for health promotion through radio programming. Thirty-seven participants were recruited and trained in broadcasting and creative writing techniques; they produced and aired 3 radio dramas. In post-project evaluation, participants were confident they could influence community behaviors but thought that training techniques were too similar to those used in school activities and thus reduced their drive to engage. Effective engagement of young people requires creativity to enhance recruitment, retention, and impact.

Managing public health in the Army through a standard community health promotion council model.

PubMed

Courie, Anna F; Rivera, Moira Shaw; Pompey, Allison

2014-01-01

Public health processes in the US Army remain uncoordinated due to competing lines of command, funding streams and multiple subject matter experts in overlapping public health concerns. The US Army Public Health Command (USAPHC) has identified a standard model for community health promotion councils (CHPCs) as an effective framework for synchronizing and integrating these overlapping systems to ensure a coordinated approach to managing the public health process. The purpose of this study is to test a foundational assumption of the CHPC effectiveness theory: the 3 features of a standard CHPC model - a CHPC chaired by a strong leader, ie, the senior commander; a full time health promotion team dedicated to the process; and centralized management through the USAPHC - will lead to high quality health promotion councils capable of providing a coordinated approach to addressing public health on Army installations. The study employed 2 evaluation questions: (1) Do CHPCs with centralized management through the USAPHC, alignment with the senior commander, and a health promotion operations team adhere more closely to the evidence-based CHPC program framework than CHPCs without these 3 features? (2) Do members of standard CHPCs report that participation in the CHPC leads to a well-coordinated approach to public health at the installation? The results revealed that both time (F(5,76)=25.02, P<.0001) and the 3 critical features of the standard CHPC model (F(1,76)=28.40, P<.0001) independently predicted program adherence. Evaluation evidence supports the USAPHC's approach to CHPC implementation as part of public health management on Army installations. Preliminary evidence suggests that the standard CHPC model may lead to a more coordinated approach to public health and may assure that CHPCs follow an evidence-informed design. This is consistent with past research demonstrating that community coalitions and public health systems that have strong leadership; dedicated staff time

Public engagement with emerging infectious disease: the case of MRSA in Britain.

PubMed

Joffe, Hélène; Washer, Peter; Solberg, Christian

2011-06-01

As a route to providing a framework for elucidating the content of public thinking concerning emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases (EID), this article examines public engagement with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). It explores how British lay publics represent MRSA utilising a social representations framework. For this group, MRSA is associated primarily with dirty National Health Service (NHS) hospitals that have been neglected due to management culture having superseded the matron culture that dominated the putative golden age of the NHS. Furthermore, MRSA represents a transgression of the purpose of a hospital as a clean and curative institution. While this widely shared picture is accompanied by a strong sense of general concern, the respondents associate contracting MRSA with other identities, such as hospitalised, young and old people. These associations are linked to feelings of personal invulnerability. There is also blame of foreigners--especially cleaners and nurses--for MRSA's spread. Thus, the data corroborate a key pattern of response found in relation to myriad EID--that of othering. However, the identities associated with contracting MRSA are mutable; therefore, the threat cannot be distanced unequivocally. Beyond developing an understanding of the relationship between epidemics and identities, this article proposes a fitting theory with which to explore EID-related public thinking. © 2011 Taylor & Francis

Enhancing Evidence-Informed Decision Making: Strategies for Engagement between Public Health Faculty and Policymakers in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jessani, Nasreen; Kennedy, Caitlin; Bennett, Sara

2017-01-01

This article examines the complex interactions and strategies for engagement--both existing as well as desired--between academic Knowledge Brokers (KBs) and national health policymakers in Kenya. Based on semi-structured interviews with academic KBs and university leaders from six Schools of Public Health (SPHs) as well as national policymakers,…

Many Experts, Many Audiences: Public Engagement with Science and Informal Science Education. A CAISE Inquiry Group Report. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCallie, Ellen; Bell, Larry; Lohwater, Tiffany; Falk, John H.; Lehr, Jane L.; Lewenstein, Bruce V.; Needham, Cynthia; Wiehe, Ben

2009-01-01

Science and technology are embedded in every aspect of modern life. This executive summary describes how Public Engagement with Science (PES), in the context of informal science education (ISE), can provide opportunities for public awareness of and participation in science and technology. PES is an approach that has developed in the last 10 years…

Wisconsin Partnerships to Educate and Engage Public Audiences on Climate Change Topics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mooney, M. E.; Ackerman, S.; Rowley, P.; Crowley Conn, K.

2011-12-01

The complexity and scale of climate change-related challenges requires more than one strategy to share meaningful information with public audiences. This presentation will discuss a few initiatives to engage the public originating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. First, a local partnership between the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) and the Aldo Leopold Nature Center (ALNC), an informal learning center with a new climate change "classroom" which recently acquired a Science on a Sphere (SOS) exhibit. Second, an informal education project funded by the NOAA Office of Education coordinated by CIMSS in partnership with the national SOS Network with the goal of helping museum docents share meaningful interpretation of real-time weather and climate data. CIMSS staff has been conducting weather and climate discussions on a Magic Planet display for several years. This "mini-SOS" is powered by a solar panel on the roof, modeling the essential Sun-Earth connection and the first principle of climate literacy. However, the convenient proximity of CIMSS and ALNC provides a perfect opportunity to test "SOS-scale" talking points posted on a weekly docent blog to the benefit of the entire SOS Network. Two other Wisconsin projects of note include the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, a partnership between the University and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and a pilot project between CIMSS and NOAA's National Weather Service to engage storm spotters in climate mitigation and stewardship. Ideally, the synergistic benefits and lessons learned from these collaborations can inform similar efforts in order to galvanize meaningful responses to climate change.

The Moon's Moment in the Sun - Extending Public Engagement after the Total Solar Eclipse with International Observe the Moon Night

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bleacher, L.; Jones, A. P.; Wasser, M. L.; Petro, N. E.; Wright, E. T.; Ladd, D.; Keller, J. W.

2017-12-01

2017 presented an amazing opportunity to engage the public in learning about lunar and space science, the motions of the Earth-Moon-Sun system, and NASA's fleet of space missions, beginning with the 2017 total solar eclipse on 21 August and continuing with International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) on 28 October. On 21 August 2017, everyone in the continental United States had the opportunity to witness a solar eclipse, weather permitting, in total or partial form. The path of totality, in which the Sun was completely obscured from view by the Moon, stretched from Oregon to South Carolina. The Education and Communication Team of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) worked to highlight the Moon, the "central player" in the total solar eclipse, in a variety of ways for the public. Efforts included collaborating with Minor League Baseball teams to host eclipse-viewing events along the path of totality, communicating the Moon's role in the eclipse through public engagement products, communicating about InOMN as an experiential opportunity beyond the eclipse, and more. InOMN is an annual event, during which everyone on Earth is invited to observe and learn about the Moon and its connection to planetary science, and to share personal and community connections we all have to the Moon [2, 3, 4 and references therein]. For viewers across the United States, the total solar eclipse of 21 August provided an exciting opportunity to watch a New Moon cross in front of the Sun, casting the viewer in shadow and providing amazing views of the solar corona. The public observed the Moon in a different part of its orbit, when reflected sunlight revealed a fascinating lunar landscape - and extended their excitement for space science - by participating in InOMN on 28 October. With InOMN taking place barely two months after the total solar eclipse, it offered an opportunity to sustain and grow public interest in lunar and space science generated by the eclipse. We will report on

The public role in promoting child health information technology.

PubMed

Conway, Patrick H; White, P Jonathan; Clancy, Carolyn

2009-01-01

The public sector plays an important role in promoting child health information technology. Public sector support is essential in 5 main aspects of child health information technology, namely, data standards, pediatric functions in health information systems, privacy policies, research and implementation funding, and incentives for technology adoption. Some innovations in health information technology for adult populations can be transferred to or adapted for children, but there also are unique needs in the pediatric population. Development of health information technology that addresses children's needs and effective adoption of that technology are critical for US children to receive care of the highest possible quality in the future.

Academic Promotion in Malaysian Public Universities: A Critical Look at Issues and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azman, Norzaini; Che Omar, Ibrahim; Yunus, Aida Suraya Md; Zain, Ahmad Nurulazam Md

2016-01-01

The expansion and transformation of Malaysian universities have generated major changes in the nature of academic employment and the structure of academic promotion in higher education institutions. These changes have considerable implications, in particular for the policy and practice of academic promotion in the public universities. We argue…

Barriers and facilitators to patient and public engagement and recruitment to digital health interventions: protocol of a systematic review of qualitative studies

PubMed Central

Hanlon, Peter; O'Donnell, Catherine A; Garcia, Sonia; Glanville, Julie; Mair, Frances S

2016-01-01

Introduction Patients and the public are beginning to use digital health tools to assist in managing chronic illness, support independent living and self-care, and remain connected to health and care providers. However, engaging with and enrolling in digital health interventions, such as telehealth systems, mobile health applications, patient portals and personal health records, in order to use them varies considerably. Many factors affect people's ability to engage with and sign up to digital health platforms. Objectives The primary aim is to identify the barriers and facilitators patients and the public experience to engagement and recruitment to digital health interventions. The secondary aim is to identify engagement and enrolment strategies, leading if possible to a taxonomy of such approaches, and a conceptual framework of digital health engagement and recruitment processes. Methods A systematic review of qualitative studies will be conducted by searching six databases: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and the ACM Digital Library for papers published between 2000 and 2015. Titles and abstracts along with full-text papers will be screened by two independent reviewers against predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A data extraction form will be used to provide details of the included studies. Quality assessment will be conducted using the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist. Any disagreements will be resolved through discussion with an independent third reviewer. Analysis will be guided by framework synthesis and informed by normalization process theory and burden of treatment theory, to aid conceptualisation of digital health engagement and recruitment processes. Discussion This systematic review of qualitative studies will explore factors affecting engagement and enrolment in digital health interventions. It will advance our understanding of readiness for digital health by examining the complex factors that

[Municipal Health Promotion in Germany: Duties, Rights and Potential].

PubMed

Walter, U; Volkenand, K

2017-04-01

Municipalities have an overarching structure in health promotion. Due to the right to self-government, municipalities are in charge of both voluntary and obligatory tasks. Some of the original and fundamental tasks can be summarized as "services to the public". Current common definitions do not include the term "health promotion". In the present study, a sub-target of a joint project, legal acts, requirements and recommendations were researched and analyzed. The results show substantive cornerstones of health promotion in various regulations of different disciplines. Based on these findings, health promotion can be interpreted as being part of services to the public. Currently the regulations for education, social tasks, environmental and consumer protection constitute the legal framework for community health promotion, but also include constitutions. They range from public international law to municipal resolutions. Quality management and also quality development are already an integral part in some communal departments. The management of structures, processes and results arises from commitments or measurable targets. In contrast, quality management for health promotion is not based on binding requirements. Specifications of other neighboring sectors (e. g. education, social sector) demonstrate the potential and effectiveness of legal policy guidelines, seen as a frame. A transparent communication about the current regulations is indispensable for formulating future guidelines. The German National Prevention Act opens opportunities for municipalities. However, its interpretation and local engagement will still guide the practice of communal health promotion. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Using the Hitachi SEM to engage learners and promote next generation science standards inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menshew, D. E.

2014-09-01

In this study participants will learn how the Hitachi TM3000 scanning electron microscope (SEM) played a central role in one school's movement towards Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and promoted exceptional student engagement. The device was used to create high quality images that were used by students in a variety of lab activities including a simulated crime scene investigation focusing on developing evidence based arguments as well as a real world conservation biology study. It provided opportunities for small group and independent investigations in support of NGSS, and peer-peer mentoring. Furthermore, use of the device was documented and were included to enhance secondary students' college and scholarship applications, all of which were successful.

Professionalizing the PTO: Race, Class, and Shifting Norms of Parental Engagement in a City Public School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posey-Maddox, Linn

2013-01-01

A growing number of parents--particularly middle- and upper-middle-class parents--are working to fill budgetary gaps through their fundraising, grant writing, and volunteerism in urban public schools. Yet little is known about how this may shape norms and practices related to parental engagement within particular schools. Drawing from a case study…

Public health program planning logic model for community engaged type 2 diabetes management and prevention.

PubMed

West, Joseph F

2014-02-01

Diabetes remains a growing epidemic with widening health inequity gaps in disease management, self-management knowledge, access to care and outcomes. Yet there is a paucity of evaluation tools for community engaged interventions aimed at closing the gaps and improving health. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (the Community Guide) developed by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services (the Task Force) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends two healthcare system level interventions, case management interventions and disease management programs, to improve glycemic control. However, as a public health resource guide for diabetes interventions a model for community engagement is a glaringly absent component of the Community Guide recommendations. In large part there are few evidence-based interventions featuring community engagement as a practice and system-level focus of chronic disease and Type 2 diabetes management. The central argument presented in this paper is that the absence of these types of interventions is due to the lack of tools for modeling and evaluating such interventions, especially among disparate and poor populations. A conceptual model emphasizing action-oriented micro-level community engagement is needed to complement the Community Guide and serve as the basis for testing and evaluation of these kinds of interventions. A unique logic model advancing the Community Guide diabetes recommendations toward measureable and sustainable community engagement for improved Type 2 diabetes outcomes is presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Current FDA directives for promoting public health

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hayes, A.H. Jr.

1982-03-01

The current directions of the FDA are outlined. The underlying philosophy of the FDA under the Reagan Administration is that both the private sector and the government must address the responsibilities to which they are best suited for the health-care system to work more efficiently. To facilitate this, FDA is conducting comprehensive reviews of FDA regulations and the drug-evaluation process. There are many dimensions to promoting public health, and the FDA alone cannot assure an adequate supply of safe and effective drugs. Innovative science and technology are needed to develop new drugs, followed by maximum potentiation (maximum good and leastmore » harm) after FDA approval. Hospital pharmacists have a role in maximizing the potential benefits of drugs through pharmacy and therapeutics committees. The current status of the pilot program for patient package inserts is described. The response at a recent hearing on the program indicates that the responsibility to protect the public health is shared by the government, health professions, industry, and the public. The FDA's campaign on sodium is based on that shared responsibility. By improving communication and building upon their common objections, both pharmacy and the FDA can do their jobs successfully.« less

“Social” Neuroscience: Leveraging Social Media to Increase Student Engagement and Public Understanding of Neuroscience

PubMed Central

Valentine, Alissa; Kurczek, Jake

2016-01-01

Neuroscience is young and still developing. It is quickly adapting to a number of emerging changes in science and education. Not only have neuroscientists been at the forefront of the open access publishing movement, but many prominent neuroscientists continue to push towards making science more accessible and understandable to the broader public. Social media is a global phenomenon that is changing the way that we talk about research and education. Researchers, students, and the public alike can leverage social media to find updates in research and higher education. Social media also provides pathways to connect with experts and non-experts in a way never been seen before. Two major trends are appearing in education and social media: 1) providing more engaging teaching activities, and 2) providing opportunities for community engagement using teaching activities that leverage social media. In this article, we describe a semester long teaching activity that challenged students to use social media in their learning process. We provide initial evaluation and feedback from the students on their social media experience in class, and suggestions for how to improve the project in future implementations. PMID:27980477

The anonymity paradox in patient engagement: reputation, risk and web-based public feedback.

PubMed

Speed, Ewen; Davison, Charlie; Gunnell, Caroline

2016-06-01

The UK National Health Service (NHS) has long espoused patient and public engagement. Recent years have seen increasing use of internet-based methods of collecting feedback about patient experience and public and staff views about NHS services and priorities. Often hailed as a means of facilitating participative democratic patient engagement, these processes raise a number of complex issues. A key aspect of it is the opportunity for comment to be made anonymously. Our research reveals an anonymity paradox whereby patients clearly demonstrate a perception that anonymity is a prerequisite for effective use of these feedback processes, whereas professionals demonstrate a perception that patient anonymity is a barrier to effective use. The risks of anonymity are constructed very differently by patients and professionals. Patient concerns around anonymity were not motivated by a general concern about a loss of privacy, but more that a positive identification might compromise future care. For professionals, concerns were voiced more around risks of reputational damage for specific practitioners or practices (in that anyone could say anything) and also that this anonymous feedback was available publicly and that it might go against the medical opinion of the professional. These concerns pointed to important differences in perceptions of patient and professional vulnerability. In the qualitative analysis that follows the key finding was that while anonymity makes service users feel less vulnerable, it can have the opposite effect on managers and clinical staff. This raises important implications for the use and utility of internet-based methods of collecting patient feedback. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Firm-Level Perspectives on Public Sector Engagement with Private Healthcare Providers: Survey Evidence from Ghana and Kenya

PubMed Central

Sood, Neeraj; Burger, Nicholas; Yoong, Joanne; Kopf, Dan; Spreng, Connor

2011-01-01

Background Health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are in urgent need of improvement. The private health sector is a major provider of care in the region and it will remain a significant actor in the future. Any efforts by SSA governments to improve health systems performance therefore has to account for the private health sector. Regional and international actors increasingly recognize importance of effectively engaging with the private health sector, and initiatives to improve engagement are underway in several countries. However, there is little systematic analysis of private health providers' view and experience with engagement. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study we surveyed private health facilities in Kenya and Ghana to understand the extent to which and how governments interact and engage with these facilities. The results suggest that government engagement with private health facilities is quite limited. The primary focus of this engagement is “command-and-control” type regulations to improve the quality of care. There is little attention paid to building the capacity of health care businesses through either technical or financial assistance. The vast majority of these facilities also receive no government assistance in meeting public health and social goals. Finally, government engagement with private pharmacies is often neglected and clinics receive a disproportionate share of government assistance. Conclusions/Significance Overall, our findings suggest that there may be considerable untapped potential for greater engagement with private health facilities—particularly pharmacies. Improving engagement will likely help governments with limited resources to better take advantage of the private sector capacity to meet access and equity objectives and to accelerate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. PMID:22132092

"If We Only Told Our Story Better...": Re-Envisioning State-University Relations through the Lens of Public Engagement. WISCAPE Viewpoints

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weerts, David J.

2011-01-01

A prevailing notion among higher education leaders is that public relations and marketing efforts must be intensified to boost legislative support for colleges and universities. However, this view fails to consider whether the academy might increase its standing among legislators and the general public by becoming more productively engaged in…

Determinants of engagement in mental health consumer-run organizations.

PubMed

Brown, Louis Davis; Townley, Greg

2015-04-01

Mental health consumer-run organizations (CROs) are a low-cost, evidence-based strategy for promoting recovery. To increase CRO utilization, characteristics that promote engagement need to be identified and encouraged. The study examined individual and organizational characteristics that predict three types of engagement in CROs-attendance, leadership involvement, and socially supportive involvement. Surveys were administered to 250 CRO members attending 20 CROs. Leaders of each CRO reported organizational characteristics through a separate questionnaire. Multilevel regression models examined relationships between predictors and indicators of CRO engagement. Perceived sense of community was the only characteristic that predicted attendance, leadership involvement, and socially supportive involvement (p<.001). Perceived organizational empowerment, shared leadership, peer counseling, and several demographic characteristics also predicted some measures of engagement. CROs that can effectively promote sense of community, organizational empowerment, shared leadership, and peer counseling may be better able to engage participants. The discussion considers several strategies to enhance these characteristics, such as collectively establishing values and practicing shared decision making.

Socialization in the Institution: A Working Group's Journey to Bring Public Engagement into Focus on Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plakans, Lia; Alper, Rebecca; Colvin, Carolyn; Aquilino, Mary; Louko, Linda J.; Zebrowski, Patricia; Ali, Saba Rasheed

2016-01-01

For over 3 years, 6 faculty members and 1 graduate student have gathered as a working group applying an interdisciplinary focus to public engagement projects involving immigrant families in the rural Midwest. One dimension of the group's effort has been to involve faculty, staff, and students from many disciplines in its examination of pertinent…

Family-centred music therapy to promote social engagement in young children with severe autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Thompson, G A; McFerran, K S; Gold, C

2014-11-01

Limited capacity for social engagement is a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often evident early in the child's development. While these skills are difficult to train, there is some evidence that active involvement in music-making provides unique opportunities for social interaction between participants. Family-centred music therapy (FCMT) endeavours to support social engagement between child and parent within active music-making, yet the extent of benefits provided is unknown. This study investigated the impacts of FCMT on social engagement abilities. Twenty-three children (36-60 months) with severe ASD received either 16 weeks of FCMT in addition to their early intervention programmes (n = 12), or their early intervention programme only (n = 11). Change in social engagement was measured with standardized parent-report assessments, parent interviews and clinician observation. Intention-to-treat analysis for the Vineland Social Emotional Early Childhood Scale indicated a significant effect in favour of FCMT. Thematic qualitative analysis of the parent interviews showed that the parent-child relationship grew stronger. FCMT improves social interactions in the home and community and the parent-child relationship, but not language skills or general social responsiveness. This study provides preliminary support for the use of FCMT to promote social engagement in children with severe ASD. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Shaping the future of nursing: developing an appraisal framework for public engagement with nursing policy reports.

PubMed

Bradshaw, Ann

2015-03-01

It is accepted that research should be systematically examined to judge its trustworthiness and value in a particular context. No such appraisal is required of reports published by organizations that have possibly even greater influence on policy that affects the public. This paper explores a philosophical framework for appraising reports. It gives the reasons why informed engagement is important, drawing on Popper's concept of the open society, and it suggests a method for appraisal. Gadamer's concept of the two horizons and Jauss's reception theory offer a methodological framework to enable the individual citizen, whether professional or lay, to engage in debate about policy that affects him or her. By way of a worked example, the framework is applied to two international reports on nursing. Conclusions suggest that nursing policy should be subjected to robust interrogatory appraisal by both profession and public for a democratic debate and creative discourse. Although this analysis is related to international nursing policy, it has a wider relevance and application beyond nursing. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Synergy between publication and promotion: comparing adoption of new evidence in Canada and the United States.

PubMed

Majumdar, Sumit R; McAlister, Finlay A; Soumerai, Stephen B

2003-10-15

Few studies have examined the effect of new evidence from clinical trials on physician practice. We took advantage of differences in promotional activity in Canada and the United States for the Heart Outcomes Prevention and Evaluation (HOPE) study and the Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study (RALES) to determine if publication of new evidence changes practice, and the extent to which promotion influences adoption of new evidence. We used longitudinal dispensing data, collected from 1998 to 2001, to examine changes in prescribing patterns for ramipril and other angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors before and after the HOPE study. We also obtained estimates for promotional expenditures. We stratified analyses by country, to isolate the effect of promotion, and used interrupted time series methods to adjust for pre-existing prescribing trends. Similar analyses were conducted for spironolactone use before and after RALES. Publication of the HOPE study results was associated with rapid increases in the use of ramipril. After adjusting for pre-existing prescribing trends, ramipril prescribing increased by 12% per month (P = 0.001) in Canada versus 5% per month (P = 0.001) in the United States after the study results were presented and published. One year later, ramipril accounted for 30% of the ACE inhibitor market in Canada versus 6% in the United States. The year before publication of these results, expenditures for detailing increased by 20% in Canada (to 18 US dollars per physician) but decreased by 7% in the United States (to 13 US dollars per physician); the year after publication, spending increased to 27 US dollars per physician in Canada versus 23 US dollars per physician in the United States. In the absence of promotional activity for RALES in either country, publication of results was associated with more modest but similar increases of 2% per month (P = 0.001) in spironolactone use in both countries. Publication of new evidence is associated with

The work environment and its effect on engagement and retention of nuclear medicine technologists: differences between public and private sector workers.

PubMed

Adams, Edwina J; Cox, Jennifer M; Adamson, Barbara J; Schofield, Deborah J

2010-06-01

The retention of Australian nuclear medicine technologists (NMTs) is poor with the future workforce size in question. As a consequence, the primary aim of this study was to determine Australian NMTs' level of work engagement and the factors influencing this to identify the issues surrounding retention. The job demands resource model assumes that each job has its own demands and resources and the balance between these can influence the level of work engagement. Lower levels of work engagement are predictive of an intention to leave. Work engagement levels can be measured using the Utrecht work engagement scale. This study used the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in a self-report questionnaire with additional open-ended and closed-ended items designed to evaluate satisfying job characteristics. Members of the professional body in specific geographical locations of Australia were invited to participate. A 49.6% response rate was achieved (n=201); of these, 164 were practicing NMTs. Public sector workers had significantly lower total mean scores (P=0.05) on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the subscale of dedication (P=0.005) compared with private NMTs. Seven of the 14 job satisfaction closed-ended items were statistically significantly lower for public NMTs: the level of decision making; feelings of importance with the tasks performed; feedback on tasks and roles; and relationships with physicians, staff and the organization. To improve the retention of NMTs, changes in the job resources and demands are needed. Advanced practice roles may improve retention by enhancing the job resources.

Engagement of Adolescents in a Health Communications Program to Prevent Noncommunicable Diseases: Multiplicadores Jóvenes, Lima, Peru, 2011

PubMed Central

Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Boeren, Yulissa; Quispe, Renato; Chiang, Mey lin

2015-01-01

Background Several risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including obesity, are associated with behaviors established in infancy that persist throughout adolescence and adulthood. As such, adolescents should be engaged in the design and implementation of NCD prevention strategies. Community Context In Lima, Peru’s capital, the proportion of adolescents aged 15 to 19 is 9.3% of the city’s population, and school enrollment rates are high. The prevalence of excess weight in Peruvian adolescents is 14.2%, and prevalence has not declined in recent years. Also recently, NCDs and their risk factors have gained more attention in public health and policy areas, with regulatory action focusing on healthful nutrition to address obesity and related NCDs. The Multiplicadores Jóvenes (Young Multipliers) project was conducted among adolescents aged 15 to 17 from 9 public secondary schools in peri-urban areas of Lima, Peru. Methods The project provided basic communication tools and knowledge of NCD prevention and public health research to adolescents during 16 weekly participatory sessions to enable them to design and disseminate healthful lifestyle promotion messages to their school peers. Outcome Thirty of 45 participants finished the program. Seven communications campaigns were designed and implemented in schools, reaching 1,200 students. The participants gained motivation, increased knowledge, and developed communication skills that were combined to implement healthful lifestyle promotion campaigns. Interpretation Engaging young people in public health promotion activities was feasible and advantageous for the design of tailored prevention-related content and its dissemination among peers. PMID:25742065

The invisibilization of health promotion in Australian public health initiatives.

PubMed

O'Hara, Lily; Taylor, Jane; Barnes, Margaret

2018-02-01

The field of health promotion has arguably shifted over the past thirty years from being socially proactive to biomedically defensive. In many countries this has been accompanied by a gradual decline, or in some cases the almost complete removal of health promotion designated positions within Government health departments. The language or discourse used to describe the practice and discipline of health promotion is reflective of such changes. In this study, critical discourse analysis was used to determine the representation of health promotion as a practice and a discipline within 10 Australian Government weight-related public health initiatives. The analysis revealed the invisibilization of critical health promotion in favour of an agenda described as 'preventive health'. This was achieved primarily through the textual practices of overlexicalization and lexical suppression. Excluding document titles, there were 437 uses of the terms health promotion, illness prevention, disease prevention, preventive health, preventative health in the documents analysed. The term 'health promotion' was used sparingly (16% of total terms), and in many instances was coupled with the term 'illness prevention'. Conversely, the terms 'preventive health' and 'preventative health' were used extensively, and primarily used alone. The progressive invisibilization of critical health promotion has implications for the perceptions and practice of those identifying as health promotion professionals and for people with whom we work to address the social and structural determinants of health and wellbeing. Language matters, and the language and intent of critical health promotion will struggle to survive if its speakers are professionally unidentifiable or invisible. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Tweeting as Health Communication: Health Organizations' Use of Twitter for Health Promotion and Public Engagement.

PubMed

Park, Hyojung; Reber, Bryan H; Chon, Myoung-Gi

2016-01-01

This study examined how major health organizations use Twitter for disseminating health information, building relationships, and encouraging actions to improve health. The sampled organizations were the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and American Diabetes Association. A content analysis was conducted on 1,583 tweets to examine these organizations' use of Twitter's interactive features and to understand the message functions and topics of their tweets. The numbers of retweets and favorites were also measured as engagement indicators and compared by different message functions. The results revealed that all of the organizations posted original tweets most, but they differed in the degree to which they used the retweet and reply functions. Hashtags and hyperlinks were the most frequently used interactive tools. The majority of the tweets were about organization-related topics, whereas personal health-related tweets represented a relatively small portion of the sample. Followers were most likely to like and retweet personal health action-based messages.

Increasing Consumer Engagement by Tailoring a Public Reporting Website on the Quality of Diabetes Care: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Bednarz, Lauren; Nordby, Peter A; Fink, Jennifer; Greenlee, Robert T; Bolt, Daniel; Magnan, Elizabeth M

2016-01-01

Background The majority of health care utilization decisions in the United States are made by persons with multiple chronic conditions. Existing public reports of health system quality do not distinguish care for these persons and are often not used by the consumers they aim to reach. Objective Our goal was to determine if tailoring quality reports to persons with diabetes mellitus and co-occurring chronic conditions would increase user engagement with a website that publicly reports the quality of diabetes care. Methods We adapted an existing consumer-focused public reporting website using adult learning theory to display diabetes quality reports tailored to the user’s chronic condition profile. We conducted in-depth cognitive interviews with 20 individuals who either had diabetes and/or cared for someone with diabetes to assess the website. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed, then analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results Three themes emerged that suggested increased engagement from tailoring the site to a user’s chronic conditions: ability to interact, relevance, and feeling empowered to act. Conclusions We conclude that tailoring can be used to improve public reporting sites for individuals with chronic conditions, ultimately allowing consumers to make more informed health care decisions. PMID:28003173

Activities for Engaging Schools in Health Promotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bardi, Mohammad; Burbank, Andrea; Choi, Wayne; Chow, Lawrence; Jang, Wesley; Roccamatisi, Dawn; Timberley-Berg, Tonia; Sanghera, Mandeep; Zhang, Margaret; Macnab, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe activities used to initiate health promotion in the school setting. Design/Methodology/Approach: Description of successful pilot Health Promoting School (HPS) initiatives in Canada and Uganda and the validated measures central to each program. Evaluation methodologies: quantitative data from the…

Medical engagement: a crucial underpinning to organizational performance.

PubMed

Spurgeon, Peter; Mazelan, Patti M; Barwell, Fred

2011-08-01

Medical Engagement has long been advocated as a critical component relating to organizational performance. Relatively little data though existed to support this contention. Using the Medical Engagement Scale (MES) This study demonstrates a persuasive linkage between assessed levels of Medical Engagement in secondary care organizations and independently gathered performance measures. Implications of executive leaders in promoting engagement are explored.

Fine-Scale Environmental Indicators of Public Health and Well-Being for Urban Communities

EPA Science Inventory

Urban ecosystem services contribute to public health and well-being by buffering natural and man-made hazards, and by promoting healthful lifestyles that include physical activity, social interaction, and engagement with nature. As part of the EnviroAtlas online mapping tool, EP...

Is a Transdisciplinary Theory of Engagement in Organized Settings Possible? A Concept Analysis of the Literature on Employee Engagement, Consumer Engagement and Patient Engagement.

PubMed

Graffigna, Guendalina

2017-01-01

phenomenon. These findings, although preliminary and in need of further investigation, suggest the feasibility of promoting a transdisciplinary reflection on the phenomenon of engagement in organized settings.