RESUMEN
Use of natural green spaces (NGS) is associated with improved psychological well-being (PWB). Ethnic minorities, particularly South Asian (SA) communities in the UK, face unequal access to NGS and experience a greater prevalence of health challenges than the general population. Improving access to green space can contribute to addressing current health inequalities. Following PRISMA guidelines, this systematic literature review aimed to synthesise existing research on NGS access barriers experienced by SAs and associations between NGS use and PWB. A comprehensive search was conducted through SAGE, Science Direct, and SCOPUS in August 2022; we included qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods studies with findings on NGS access and/or associations between NGS use and PWB for SAs in the UK. We employed deductive thematic analysis to explore inhibitors and enablers of access which were then conceptualised through a multidimensional framework. Associations between NGS and PWB were coded inductively and mapped separately. This review is registered on PROSPERO: CRD42022353711. Twenty-six studies were included in the review which varied substantially in their aims, methods, context, and participants. Included studies on NGS grouped SAs within broader demographic categories such as minority ethnic communities or Muslims. Our findings indicate that SAs are disadvantaged in their access to NGS due to numerous intersecting factors including unequal distribution, inadequate transport, racialisation of NGS, and safety concerns. Whilst these findings generally aligned with broader literature on NGS access, certain access barriers and enablers are particularly significant to SA communities. We also identified several dimensions of PWB that are enhanced for SAs through interacting with NGS including overall mental health outcomes, physical wellbeing, and social relatedness. This review highlights opportunities to improve access to NGS and thereby enhance PWB outcomes for SA people. It also identifies the lack of primary research exploring NGS access and PWB associations for SA communities, specifically in rural contexts.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Embedded researchers are a novel intervention to improve the translation of research evidence into policy and practice settings, including public health. These roles are being implemented with increasing popularity, but they often lack clear evaluative frameworks. Understanding initial levels of research activity, including associated barriers and opportunities, is essential to developing theories of change and thus shaping the roles and defining expectations. We aimed to identify the principal determinants of research activity in public health that contextualise embedded researcher roles, including attributes of the embedded researcher themselves. METHODS: We undertook seventeen semi-structured interviews with embedded researchers in diverse public health settings in English local government. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: We identified thirteen interlinked determinants of research activity within local government public health settings. Research and interpersonal skills, as well as pre-existing connections and knowledge within local government, were highly valued individual attributes for embedded researchers. Resource deficiencies (funding, time, and infrastructure) were primary barriers to research activity, whereas a strong local appetite for evidence informed decision making presented a valuable opportunity. However, there was inconsistencies across public health teams relating to perceptions of what constituted "research" and the resources that would be required. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that successful embedded researchers will have equally strong research and communication skills and should be offered mentorship and clear career progression pathways. Perceptions of research within local government are closely linked to resource deficiencies and senior endorsement. Embedded researchers could benefit from taking the time to develop locally contextualised knowledge of this research culture. Theories of change for embedded researchers should conceptualise the interconnections across individual, interpersonal, and organisational barriers and opportunities underlying local government research activity. Further research is needed to identify methods for exploring the influence of embedded researchers as well as to unpack the stages of research activity within local government and the associated behaviours.
Asunto(s)
Gobierno Local , Salud Pública , Investigadores , Humanos , Entrevistas como Asunto , Investigación Cualitativa , Investigación Biomédica Traslacional , Investigación sobre Servicios de Salud , Mentores , Rol Profesional , Política de Salud , Comunicación , Toma de DecisionesRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Embedding researchers into policy and other settings may enhance research capacity within organisations to enable them to become more research active. We aimed to generate an evidence map on evaluations of embedded researcher interventions to (i) identify where systematic reviews and primary research are needed and (ii) develop conceptual understandings of 'embedded researchers'. We define 'embedded researchers' through a set of principles that incorporate elements such as the aim of activities, the types of relationships and learning involved, and the affiliations and identities adopted. METHODS: We included studies published across all sectors, searching fourteen databases, other web sources and two journals for evaluations published between 1991 and spring 2021. Data were extracted using a coding tool developed for this study. We identified new typologies of embedded researcher interventions through undertaking Latent Class Analysis. RESULTS: The map describes 229 evaluations spanning a variety of contexts. Our set of principles allowed us to move beyond a narrow focus on embedded researchers in name alone, towards consideration of the wide range of roles, activities, identities, and affiliations related to embedded researchers. We identified 108 different allied terms describing an embedded researcher. Embedded researcher activity spanned a continuum across lines of physical, cultural, institutional, and procedural embeddedness (from weaker to more intense forms of embeddedness) and took a range of forms that bridge or blur boundaries between academia and policy/practice. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a broad map of international embedded researcher activity in a wide range of sectors. The map suggests that embedded researcher interventions occupy a broader suite of models than previously acknowledged and our findings also offer insight on the type and nature of this literature. Given the clear policy interest in this area, a better understanding of the processes involved with becoming embedded within an organisation is needed. Further work is also necessary to address the challenges of evaluating the work of embedded researchers, including consideration for which outcome measures are most appropriate, to better understand their influence.
RESUMEN
Improved collaboration and communication between public health practitioners and academia could enhance the flow of research evidence into policy and practice. Embedded researchers present one type of intervention with the potential to bridge the research-implementation gap through their dual affiliations with decision makers and academia. Although embedded researcher posts are garnering increasing attention in public health, there remains a need to understand the mechanisms through which they may promote the translation of evidence into practice. To address this gap, we conducted a processes evaluation incorporating data from seventeen semi-structured interviews with embedded researchers in local government public health teams across England. We aimed to expand theoretical understandings of embedded researchers in public health through providing a detailed conceptualisation of the mechanisms shaping the early stages of their roles. Interviews with embedded researchers were conducted from late 2021 to spring 2022. Our results suggest that the initial months of embedded researcher roles are defined by a lengthy embedding phase centred on building trust and gathering contextual knowledge. This phase forms the foundation on which these interventions are built. We identified seven categories of outputs delivered by embedded researchers which primarily revolved around building research capacity and addressed many of the primary barriers limiting research activity in public health. Improvements in research awareness, interest, and involvement reflected early changes in local research cultures. However, our results align with previous work suggesting that changing an organisational research culture is a long-term process. Expectations for embedded researchers should thus be proportionate to the seniority and scale of the post and we add our voice to calls for sustained investment in these valuable interventions. Further examination of how embedded researcher roles evolve over time in public health is necessary to broaden understandings of the concept of embeddedness in these settings.