Bach Mario, Jordan Susanne, Hartung Susanne, Santos-Hövener Claudia, Wright Michael T
Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Catholic University of Applied Sciences Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Emerg Themes Epidemiol. 2017 Feb 10;14:2. doi: 10.1186/s12982-017-0056-4. eCollection 2017.
Epidemiology has contributed in many ways to identifying various risk factors for disease and to promoting population health. However, there is a continuing debate about the ability of epidemiology not only to describe, but also to provide results which can be better translated into public health practice. It has been proposed that participatory research approaches be applied to epidemiology as a way to bridge this gap between description and action. A systematic account of what constitutes participatory epidemiology practice has, however, been lacking.
A scoping review was carried out focused on the question of what constitutes participatory approaches to epidemiology for the purpose of demonstrating their potential for advancing epidemiologic research. Relevant databases were searched, including both the published and non-published (grey) literature. The 102 identified sources were analyzed in terms of comparing common epidemiologic approaches to participatory counterparts regarding central aspects of the research process. Exemplary studies applying participatory approaches were examined more closely.
A highly diverse, interdisciplinary body of literature was synthesized, resulting in a framework comprised of seven aspects of the research process: research goal, research question, population, context, data synthesis, research management, and dissemination of findings. The framework specifies how participatory approaches not only differ from, but also how they can enhance common approaches in epidemiology. Finally, recommendations for the further development of participatory approaches are given. These include: enhancing data collection, data analysis, and data validation; advancing capacity building for research at the local level; and developing data synthesis.
The proposed framework provides a basis for systematically developing the emergent science of participatory epidemiology.
流行病学在识别疾病的各种风险因素以及促进人群健康方面做出了多方面贡献。然而，关于流行病学不仅能否描述，而且能否提供可更好地转化为公共卫生实践的结果，一直存在争议。有人提议将参与式研究方法应用于流行病学，以此弥合描述与行动之间的差距。然而，对于构成参与式流行病学实践的内容，一直缺乏系统的阐述。
开展了一项范围综述，聚焦于构成流行病学参与式方法的问题，以展示其推动流行病学研究的潜力。检索了相关数据库，包括已发表和未发表（灰色）文献。从研究过程的核心方面比较常规流行病学方法与参与式对应方法的角度，对102篇已识别的文献来源进行了分析。对应用参与式方法的典型研究进行了更深入的考察。
综合了大量高度多样化的跨学科文献，形成了一个由研究过程的七个方面组成的框架：研究目标、研究问题、人群、背景、数据综合、研究管理和研究结果传播。该框架明确了参与式方法不仅与流行病学常规方法的不同之处，还阐述了其如何能够增强这些常规方法。最后，给出了参与式方法进一步发展的建议。这些建议包括：加强数据收集、数据分析和数据验证；推进地方层面的研究能力建设；以及开展数据综合。
所提出的框架为系统发展新兴的参与式流行病学科学提供了基础。
