Harnessing the power of citizen science for prevention

What is the issue?

Engaging the public in research and decision making in prevention is crucial if the public health community is to achieve equitable, feasible and acceptable solutions to the complex health challenges we face.

Citizen science, broadly defined as public participation and collaboration in scientific research, is increasingly gaining traction in public health due to its potential to gain new perspectives on problems and solutions, monitor policy and program implementation, obtain difficult to access data, and mobilise support for action to improve health.

However, little is known about how policy and practice stakeholders in Australia perceive citizen science approaches in prevention, whether and how they value data collected by community members, to what extent these approaches can be used by policy and practice stakeholders to address the needs of their organisations, and what resources and support stakeholders require to enable citizen science to be integrated within their work. Also, little is known about whether and why members of the public engage in citizen science projects in prevention or how to foster engagement and maximise the impact of these approaches.

How is the project addressing the issue?

This is a co-produced research project in which researchers will support policy and practice partners to develop and implement citizen science projects in their own contexts. This will enable partners to develop practical experience and expertise in citizen science approaches and become champions for this approach, paving this way for others to follow.

Using a case study approach, the project team will work with the partners to undertake a comprehensive evaluation of the citizen science projects to explore the feasibility and impacts of policy and practice stakeholder-led citizen science approaches in prevention, with the goal of supporting the use of citizen science approaches by policy and practice stakeholders in prevention.

Through literature reviews and interviews with key stakeholders in prevention and beyond, the project will also explore familiarity with and perceptions of citizen science approaches and the intersections between citizen science and other approaches to public engagement in the development and implementation of policy.

What are the expected outcomes?

The key outcomes from this project for policy and practice stakeholders in chronic disease prevention include:

• Improved understanding of the perceived value and impact of citizen science in prevention
• Understanding of feasibility of citizen science approaches
• Tailored resources to support policy and practice stakeholders
• Increased capacity of stakeholders to develop and implement citizen science projects.

Relevance for practice

This project will build awareness and capacity in citizen science approaches among policy and practice stakeholders across Australia through hands-on experience and tailored resources.

Case study evaluations will demonstrate the impact and value of citizen science approaches across a range of issues and contexts in prevention, as well as highlighting key challenges and learnings, further paving the way for policy and practice stakeholders to develop citizen science projects for their own purposes.

The insights gained throughout this project will inform the development of resources to support the delivery of citizen science projects in chronic disease prevention.