Understanding Barriers and Facilitators to Community Engagement and Participation in Health Research

Faculty: Anne-Marie O'Brien

Nursing

College of Science, Technology, and Business

Health researchers have long noted that diversity among research participants is an ongoing problem. Therefore, as part of a CTSA award, our research team sought to better understand the barriers and facilitators to community engagement in health research. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study in order to compare and contrast the perspectives of three different groups: research team members, community members, and community service providers/others on the barriers and facilitators to community engagement. Eligibility included adults who worked and/or lived in the Commonwealth of Virginia. We recruited potential participants via emails, social media, and social networks. A total of 303 participants were included in the final analyses. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were conducted to identify similarities and differences across the three stakeholder groups. Many of the perspectives aligned across the three groups, but there were still some divergences. In particular, we found five items where there was a significant association between group membership and endorsement of a barrier or facilitator. Based on the study findings, we endorsed strategies that promote community trust and engagement and diversity in research participation. Recommendations included: (1) academic/clinical research institutions should reward community engagement activities as part of expected tenure/work achievements, and (2) institutions should dedicate funding for researcher/community member training and community-engaged advisory boards.