“The main goal is to create resilient communities”: Assessing the Role of Community Engagement Activities Across Global Nutrition-SBC Projects Público

Leite, Katie (Spring 2022)

Permanent URL: https://etd.library.emory.edu/concern/etds/hd76s133m?locale=es
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Abstract

Background: Community engagement (CE) methods are used in public health research to address how social determinants of health and stakeholders can be involved in project implementation. There is a need to explore how CE methods used with nutrition social and behavior change (NSBC) across global contexts might relate to improved dietary diversity and nutrition-related health outcomes. This information could support the effectiveness of NSBC strategies that use CE methods throughout design, implementation, & monitoring domains.

Methods: This project builds off of an ongoing study consisting of two aims- Aim 1, a systematic literature review on completed NSBC projects, and Aim 2, observing methodology of ongoing projects. Project documents detailing methods, key stakeholders, and impact on nutrition/diet were compiled by the parent study. Documents were used to evaluate the presence of CE using a qualitative codebook, a scoring system, and a pre-developed CE continuum (CEC). Projects were sorted into levels of the CEC after being coded and scored. Results will demonstrate how each project compares in their use of CE. Aim 1 effect ratios (ERs) were also calculated using existing effectiveness data.

Results: Analysis of Aim 1 and 2 projects exhibits the frequency and breadth of community engagement methods used throughout NSeA SBC projects. Aim 1 projects scored into the highest level of the CEC, demonstrating their reliance on CE methods throughout operation. Aim 1 ERs also shared a positive correlation with CEC score, where higher scoring projects demonstrated higher ERs. Aim 2 projects, which were subjected to a case study-style analysis, scored variably across the CEC and demonstrate the multitude of CE approaches that can be utilized across NSBC project domains.

Conclusions: Findings from this project support the use of CE methods in nutrition research by providing information that links project effectiveness with utilization of CE. Projects which used CE in their design, implementation, and M&E stages and scored higher on the CEC were found to have high effect ratios, as well as outcomes that aligned with their original objectives. These findings will be useful in future research aimed at bolstering NSBC projects and identifies which CE methods might be most useful in doing so.

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Chapter 1: Introduction 1

Chapter 2: Literature Review 5

Chapter 3: Methods 20

Chapter 4: Results 28

Chapter 5: Discussion 50

Chapter 6: Public Health Implications & Recommendations 60

References 63

Appendix A 66

Appendix B 70

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