Multi-directional communication between decision makers and environmental health researchers: a qualitative inquiry.

It has been three decades since key leaders gathered to pave a path toward healthier and more just environments and recommendations were made to improve communication between scientists and community stakeholders who can influence decision making. Since that time, community engaged research has flourished while building the capacity of researchers to engage in the work of making change to those environments has lagged. The purpose of this study was the development of guidelines to inform interactions between researchers and decision makers and influencers who participate in the policy change process. This community engaged, pragmatic and iterative inquiry includes insight from a review of existing resources and key informant interviews. Resulting guidelines were piloted, and formative evaluation by community stakeholders informed and resulted in refinement to the guidelines. Strategies for communicating and disseminating scientific evidence are presented as well as tactics that sensitise researchers to the nuances of policy makers' realities so they may serve as a resource for dealing with complex information and decisions. We provide tactics and archived resources in an on-line toolkit that we have cultivated over time to foster effective communication between scientists and those who have a stake in ensuring that decisions are evidence informed.

Older Adults as Key Assets in a Community-Based Participatory Needs Assessment: How Partnering With Older Residents Improves Local Aging Policy and Practice.

Older adults are often overlooked in decision making processes despite the detrimental effects on their well-being. The representation of older adults in investigations and initiatives is needed so that the issues they face, today and in the future, can be resolved through partnership and their active involvement. The aim of this article is to describe a participatory process for conducting a needs assessment (NA) and the contributions and opportunities of partnering with older adults to shape community services and support for older adults. Data were collected from 1,863 participants in a midwestern county via focus groups, interviews, and surveys. We describe how participatory principles were enacted, the involvement of older adults influenced the design and contributed to making sure hard-to-reach residents' voices were included. Finally, we discuss the ways in which a community inclusive multi-method strategy can optimize resource allocation, identify pathways to more effective policymaking that is matched to the needs and interests of its oldest residents, and lead to unanticipated benefits. Single method, non-inclusive approaches can obscure the critical context and exclude perspectives of the most burdened and vulnerable, who are most in need of support from their community.

Engaged communication of environmental health science: Processes and outcomes of urban academic-community partnerships.

Those who bear the greatest environmental burdens often have the least access to information, and explanations for engaging communities to develop solutions are lacking. We describe, and use a case study to depict, a participatory process of urban academic and community members to co-produce educational and communication tools. Over five years, we interfaced with 763 individuals at eleven events and three times that (n=2,273) through attendees' networks at 109 small group events using snowball methods. The resulting communication tools, paired resources, and mobile dissemination were responsive to residents' circumstances and enhanced their ability to access health protecting information and resources.

DVD training for depression identification and treatment in older adults: a two-group, randomized, wait-list control study.

OBJECTIVE. To test the effectiveness of an educational intervention aimed at improving mental health knowledge and skills in occupational therapists working with older rehabilitation patients. METHOD. The DVD-format educational intervention was evaluated using a two-group randomized wait-list control design. Occupational therapists (n = 75) completed a 32-item knowledge questionnaire at three time points. Patient charts were reviewed (n = 960) at 3 months before and 3 and 6 months after DVD training to evaluate clinical practice change. RESULTS. A two-way analysis of variance showed knowledge scores increased significantly for both groups after DVD training. A significant Group × Time interaction and significant main effects for time and group were found. Chart review data also showed significant increases in desired clinical behaviors in both groups after training. The greatest single item of clinical practice change was use of a standardized depression screen. CONCLUSION. DVD-based training can significantly improve mental health practice.