Harnessing citizen science in preventive health research, policy and practice

Abstract

Addressing complex problems in chronic disease prevention requires purposeful engagement with actors that can effect change, including the public. Citizen science approaches, which actively involve members of the public (known as “citizen scientists”) as collaborators in the research process are increasingly being recognized for their potential application in chronic disease prevention. This thesis aimed to explore how citizen science can support community engagement in research and decision making in preventive health, and where the opportunities and challenges lie for supporting wider uptake of citizen science in research, policy and practice.

My thesis took a pragmatic constructivist approach, involving four studies. First, I present a published scoping review which explored how citizen science approaches have been applied and/or evaluated in prevention. I then present a rapid review and narrative synthesis examining how citizen science aligns with similar approaches to participatory research in public health. Next, I present a published mixed-methods study which explored policy and practice stakeholders’ perceptions of and experiences with citizen science, and their needs to utilise these approaches in their work. Finally, I report a published in-depth case study investigation exploring how and why citizen science has been utilised by two Australian government organisations in environmental and healthy ageing policy.

Through this thesis, I demonstrate there is growing interest and untapped potential to harness citizen science in research, policy and practice in preventive health to support more innovative, meaningful and impactful community engagement processes and outcomes. However, capitalising on this potential and momentum requires ongoing development, distinction, and legitimation of citizen science approaches in preventive health.