Policy making is complex, not just a simple implementation of evidence into practice. Many factors, beyond just evidence, weigh into the final decision. As a result, policies may not seem to reflect citizens’ perspectives, even when citizen viewpoints have been considered. Furthermore, citizens often find that the policy does not apply to the ideas they had in mind or their own priorities.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

This Dutch study explores the question of whether citizen science can be effectively used in decision making regarding public health policies. To this end, challenges that come with incorporating citizen science into public health are discussed, as well as ways these issues can be remedied. Finally, a framework for using citizen science in public health is suggested.

Citizen Science for public health

Den Broeder, L., Devilee, J., Van Oers, H., Schuit, A. J., & Wagemakers, A. (2018). Citizen Science for public health. Health promotion international, 33(3), 505–514. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daw086

- To identify the community’s needs
- To move national-level policy making to the municipality level (tailor it to make it more local)
- To promote participative approaches to decision making over professionally driven approaches


Why might policy makers want to involve local residents in health policy decisions?

Why is it difficult to involve citizens in public health decisions?

Roy et al. (2012), Wiggins & Crownston (2011), and Haklay (2012)

Three taxonomies of citizen science

Combining these taxonomies into a general framework for citizen science

General framework for citizen science

The advantages of citizen science include increased research capacity, better knowledge, and benefits for citizen participants.

Advantages of citizen science

Although citizen science projects are rare in public health, there are a couple of approaches that have been used to involve citizens in public health research.

Examples of using citizen science in public health

Despite the benefits of using citizen science in public health research, certain challenges in doing so must be acknowledged, along with proposed solutions to these challenges.

Difficulties in using citizen science for public health research

- Access to study population that are difficult to reach
- Greater empowerment of citizens in approaching personal and public health issues (comes from their knowledge and participation in studies that don’t just involve data collection)
- Better population-level health
- Greater health literacy (abilities and skills that allow a person to manage their health more effectively) in citizenry
- Greater sense of coherence (experiencing the world as more meaningful, manageable, and comprehensible), which leads to better health
- Enhancement of community values and social ties/cohesion, which contribute to the health of the community


What citizen science could bring to public health

To summarize, participation in citizen science projects leads to the following effects.
- For the research: crowdsourcing leading to greater research capacity, traditional/local/lay knowledge bolsters existing knowledge systems
- For the citizens: health literacy, empowerment, community building/social capital/social learning and trust, changes in attitudes/norms/values, active participation in public health policy, Sense of Coherence (SOC). All of these then positively contribute to community health.


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