Carson Margaret A, Doberneck Diane M, Hart Zac, Kelsey Heath, Pierce Jennifer Y, Porter Dwayne E, Richlen Mindy L, Schandera Louisa, Triezenberg Heather A
Environmental Health Sciences Department, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
University Outreach and Engagement, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Community Sci. 2022 Jun;1(1). doi: 10.1029/2022csj000001. Epub 2022 Apr 14.
Over the past two decades, scientific research on the connections between the health and resilience of marine ecosystems, and human health, well-being, and community prosperity has expanded and evolved into a distinct "metadiscipline" known as Oceans and Human Health (OHH), recognized by the scientific community as well as policy makers. OHH goals are diverse, and seek to improve public health outcomes, promote sustainable use of aquatic systems and resources, and strengthen community resilience. OHH research has historically included some level of community outreach and partner involvement; however, the increasing disruption of aquatic environments and urgency of public health impacts calls for a more systematic approach to effectively identify and engage with community partners to achieve project goals and outcomes. Herein, we present a strategic framework developed collaboratively by community engagement personnel from the four recently established U.S. Centers for Oceans and Human Health (COHH). This framework supports researchers in defining levels of community engagement and in aligning partners, purpose, activities, and approaches intentionally in their community engagement efforts. Specifically, we describe: (1) a framework for a range of outreach and engagement approaches; (2) the need for identifying partners, purpose, activities, and approaches; and (3) the importance of making intentional alignment among them. Misalignment across these dimensions may lead to wasting time or resources, eroding public trust, or failing to achieve intended outcomes. We illustrate the framework with examples from current COHH case studies, and conclude with future directions for strategic community engagement in OHH and other environmental health contexts.
在过去二十年中，关于海洋生态系统健康与恢复力和人类健康、福祉及社区繁荣之间联系的科学研究不断扩展，并演变成一门独特的“元学科”，即海洋与人类健康（OHH），得到了科学界和政策制定者的认可。OHH的目标多种多样，旨在改善公共卫生成果、促进水生系统和资源的可持续利用，并增强社区恢复力。OHH研究历来包含一定程度的社区宣传和合作伙伴参与；然而，水生环境日益受到破坏以及公共卫生影响的紧迫性，要求采用更系统的方法，以有效地识别社区合作伙伴并与之合作，从而实现项目目标和成果。在此，我们展示了由美国最近成立的四个海洋与人类健康中心（COHH）的社区参与人员共同制定的战略框架。该框架支持研究人员确定社区参与的程度，并在社区参与工作中有意地使合作伙伴、目的、活动和方法保持一致。具体而言，我们描述了：（1）一系列宣传和参与方法的框架；（2）识别合作伙伴、目的、活动和方法的必要性；（3）使它们之间有意保持一致的重要性。这些维度之间的不一致可能导致时间或资源的浪费、公众信任的侵蚀，或无法实现预期成果。我们用当前COHH案例研究中的例子来说明该框架，并以OHH及其他环境卫生背景下战略社区参与的未来方向作为结论。
