TY - JOUR
T1 - Engaging diverse citizen scientists for environmental health
T2 - Recommendations from participants and promotoras
AU - Davis, Leona F.
AU - Ramírez-Andreotta, Mónica D.
AU - Buxner, Sanlyn
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 The Author(s).
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Environmental health citizen science (CS) offers a strategy for historically disenfranchised community members to inform research questions, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions about contaminants in their local environments to inform local action. In this study, direct feedback from demographically diverse participants and promotoras (community health workers) in a co-created environmental health CS project informs understanding of CS participant motivation, support, and barriers to participation. Study findings reflect a lack of association between participant self-efficacy and race, income, or education level, respectively; however specific types of motivation, participation support, and barriers to participation were found to be more relevant among participants of certain demographic groups or communities compared to others. These findings inform the following recommendations for engaging diverse CS participants: 1) Consider existing relationships and community-identified problems as participant motivation, 2) Design participant methods to include personal support structures and relationship-building, and, 3) Design for participant time and technology access as significant limitations to participation. These findings serve to inform best practices in environmental health CS, as well CS project design for diverse participants.
AB - Environmental health citizen science (CS) offers a strategy for historically disenfranchised community members to inform research questions, collect and analyze data, and draw conclusions about contaminants in their local environments to inform local action. In this study, direct feedback from demographically diverse participants and promotoras (community health workers) in a co-created environmental health CS project informs understanding of CS participant motivation, support, and barriers to participation. Study findings reflect a lack of association between participant self-efficacy and race, income, or education level, respectively; however specific types of motivation, participation support, and barriers to participation were found to be more relevant among participants of certain demographic groups or communities compared to others. These findings inform the following recommendations for engaging diverse CS participants: 1) Consider existing relationships and community-identified problems as participant motivation, 2) Design participant methods to include personal support structures and relationship-building, and, 3) Design for participant time and technology access as significant limitations to participation. These findings serve to inform best practices in environmental health CS, as well CS project design for diverse participants.
KW - Citizen science
KW - Community-based participatory research
KW - Demographics
KW - Diversity
KW - Environmental health
KW - Inclusive design
KW - Promotora
KW - Water contamination
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U2 - 10.5334/cstp.253
DO - 10.5334/cstp.253
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85085091418
SN - 2057-4991
VL - 5
JO - Citizen Science: Theory and Practice
JF - Citizen Science: Theory and Practice
IS - 1
M1 - 7
ER -