Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Maria Sandin Vazquez, Andrea Pastor, Irene Molina de la Fuente, Paloma Conde Espejo, Francisca Sureda Llul
Summary: This study used participatory action research method, with photo voice and nominal group techniques, to identify themes related to alcohol environment and translate them into urban policy recommendations. Participants produced a total of 61 policy recommendations, highlighting the importance of researcher-community collaborations in designing public health interventions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Leyre Gravina, Amets Jauregi, Irrintzi Fernandez-Aedo, Julia Diez, Joel Gittelsohn, Uriyoan Colon-Ramos, Manuel Franco
Summary: Despite sharing similar cultural and socioeconomic contexts, perceptions of local food environments and participatory research abilities may vary among participants in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. Common themes emerged in both cities' narratives about local food environments, but citizens in Bilbao perceived sufficient availability of healthy foods compared to those living in impoverished communities. Photovoice proved to be a useful tool for engaging citizens in improving their local food environments in both cities, allowing for a cross-city comparison to better understand residents' diverse perceptions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Irene Molina-de la Fuente, Andrea Pastor, Paloma Conde, Maria Sandin Vazquez, Carmen Ramos, Marina Bosque-Prous, Manuel Franco, Xisca Sureda
Summary: This study used the Photovoice participatory methodology to explore the perceived alcohol environment among residents in two districts of Madrid, comparing results based on their socio-economic status. Participants took and discussed photographs related to alcohol environment, eventually categorizing them into different groups. The study results offer insights into alcohol urban environment, potentially informing the development of more effective policies to prevent hazardous alcohol consumption.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Belen Soto-Ponce, Manuel Garcia-Ramirez, Lucia Jimenez
Summary: This protocol aims to empower Romani women and girls' reproductive decisions through Participatory Action Research, promoting social and gender justice. The plan includes building partnerships, implementing Photovoice and advocating for gender rights, and assessing related changes. Expected outcomes include the creation of new social networks and the promotion of Romani women and girls' leadership. Romani organizations must be transformed into empowering settings tailored to their real needs and interests, ensuring transformative social changes.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Christopher Turner, Leah Salm, Mark Spires, Amos Laar, Michelle Holdsworth
Summary: This review summarizes recent advances in the use of participatory photography methods in food environment research, based on 28 peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2022. The studies covered both high-income and low- and middle-income countries, with local and school food environments being common focal sites. The dominant methodological approach was Photovoice, although there was substantial variation in study designs, camera devices, and level of participant involvement. The review encourages researchers and practitioners to view participatory photography as a participatory action research strategy, empowering participants to drive change and promote sustainable transformation of food systems, as well as improved diets, nutrition, and health.
CURRENT OPINION IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Fatemeh Vizeshfar, Marzieh Momennasab, Shahrzad Yektatalab, Mohamad Taghi Iman
Summary: Health volunteers play a crucial role in the healthcare system, acting as a bridge between society and health services. Through action research, volunteers were empowered by identifying and addressing challenges, leading to improvements in knowledge, performance, satisfaction, program effectiveness, and volunteer competence.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Roisin Mooney, Clair Dempsey, Brian J. Brown, Frank Keating, Doreen Joseph, Kamaldeep Bhui
Summary: This paper presents a model of research practice that focuses on addressing epistemic injustice and promotes the importance of lived experience and structural disadvantages. The authors share their processes and the experiences of participants in a study called Co-pact, aiming to transform research practice. Rather than discussing specific research findings, the paper aims to provide expertise on addressing epistemic injustice and offers practical examples of participatory research processes, core values, and procedures implemented.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Marcela Nava, Amanda S. English, Linda Fulmer, Katherine Sanchez
Summary: This study explores the decision-making environment of collaborative community health needs assessment (CHNA) implementation within a group of nonprofit hospitals in a conservative state, identifying policy, political, and economic factors that inhibit public health partnerships and magnify existing disparities in healthcare access.
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Cristina Mesa-Vieira, Nathalia Gonzalez-Jaramillo, Catalina Diaz-Rios, Octavio Pano, Sophie Meyer, Marilyne Menassa, Beatrice Minder, Vivian Lin, Oscar H. Franco, Annika Frahsa
Summary: This article aims to identify validated and reliable indicators and tools for assessing good governance in urban settings, specifically for population health, well-being, and equity. It also evaluates the processes of multisectoral action and civic engagement reported in peer-reviewed articles. The study findings show that there is limited data on participatory health governance strategies, with most of the available information coming from high-income countries. It highlights the need for updated and reliable data to monitor these processes and develop indicators to assess their impact on population health, well-being, and equity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Darcy A. Freedman, Jill K. Clark, David W. Lounsbury, Lena Boswell, Marilyn Burns, Michelle B. Jackson, Kristen Mikelbank, Gwendolyn Donley, La Queta Worley-Bell, Jodi Mitchell, Timothy H. Ciesielski, Milen Embaye, Eun Kyung Lee, Abigail Roche, India Gill, Owusua Yamoah
Summary: This study conducted participatory research using a mixed-methods approach to examine the complexity and inequity of food systems in historically redlined neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. The findings identified 10 feedback mechanisms that structure nutrition equity in racialized neighborhoods, organized into three domains: meeting basic food needs with dignity, local food supply and demand dynamics, and community empowerment and food sovereignty. Exogenous factors such as neighborhood crisis and household costs moderate these feedback dynamics.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Geography
Goran Erfani
Summary: The use of the photovoice method in urban redevelopment studies provides a multi-faceted resource for understanding the processes and outcomes of urban change. It helps reveal power relations and patterns of control, as well as residents' perceptions and attachment to public spaces.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Antonia Hyman, Elizabeth Stacy, Humaira Mohsin, Kaitlin Atkinson, Kurtis Stewart, Helen Novak Lauscher, Kendall Ho
Summary: This study aimed to understand the barriers to and facilitators of digital health tool uptake experienced by South Asian community members residing in Canada. The findings revealed that older age, lack of education, and poor digital health literacy were major barriers, while social support from family or community members and positive attitudes toward technology were facilitators.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Rishtya Kakar, Ryan Combs, Nida Ali, Baraka Muvuka, Jennifer Porter
Summary: In a marginalized community like West Louisville with significant health inequities, community members and health professionals collaborated to improve childhood asthma management. By enhancing the design and utilization of asthma action plans, community awareness of asthma was increased and a communication gap between patients and providers was bridged.
PATIENT EDUCATION AND COUNSELING
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Kerry Ann Brown, Nikhil Srinivasapura Venkateshmurthy, Gopi Potubariki, Piyu Sharma, Jacqueline M. Cardwell, Dorairaj Prabhakaran, Cecile Knai, Sailesh Mohan
Summary: This study used the Photovoice method to explore the experiences and perceptions of communities in India on the role of dairy products in local sustainable and healthy food systems. Through discussion workshops and analysis of photographs and captions, it was found that quality and value are important to both producers and consumers, adaptation is needed in water scarce areas to sustain dairy farmer livelihoods, and the importance of milk is not just about health.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Rebecca Pradeilles, Ana Irache, Milkah N. Wanjohi, Michelle Holdsworth, Amos Laar, Francis Zotor, Akua Tandoh, Senam Klomegah, Fiona Graham, Stella K. Muthuri, Elizabeth W. Kimani-Murage, Nathaniel Coleman, Mark A. Green, Hibbah Araba Osei-Kwasi, Marco Bohr, Emily K. Rousham, Gershim Asiki, Robert Akparibo, Kobby Mensah, Richmond Aryeetey, Nicolas Bricas, Paula Griffiths
Summary: Factors in the physical food environment affect dietary behaviors among low-income dwellers in three African cities. Issues like poor hygiene, food contamination, and economic access barriers were identified. Policies to enhance food safety and initiatives like home gardening could help reduce financial obstacles to healthy diets.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Carlos Fernandez-Escobar, Julia Diez, Alba Martinez-Garcia, Usama Bilal, Martin O'Flaherty, Manuel Franco
Summary: In Madrid, supermarkets have higher food availability and affordability compared to convenience stores and specialized stores. Supermarkets offer lower prices and a wider range of both healthy and less healthy food options. Area-level socioeconomic status does not affect food availability or prices, but affordability is higher in higher-income areas.
PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Catalina Londono-Canola, Gemma Serral, Julia Diez, Alba Martinez-Garcia, Manuel Franco, Lucia Artazcoz, Carlos Ariza
Summary: This study assessed the availability and proximity of unhealthy food stores around schools in Barcelona and its association with neighborhood socioeconomic status. The results showed that 95% of food establishments were classified as unhealthy and 90% of schools had at least two unhealthy retailers nearby. This highlights the significant social inequalities in the supply of healthy food in Barcelona, suggesting the need for policy interventions that address socioeconomic differences.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Gina S. Lovasi, Sarah Boise, Siddharth Jogi, Philip M. Hurvitz, Andrew G. Rundle, Julia Diez, Jana A. Hirsch, Annette Fitzpatrick, Mary L. Biggs, David S. Siscovick
Summary: This study used longitudinal data to estimate the impacts of neighborhood food retail presence on incident disease. The results showed a association between the presence of neighborhood food retail and the incidence of cardiovascular disease, although the association was attenuated after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. There was no statistically significant association between food retail presence and the incidence of diabetes.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Coral Salvador, Pedro Gullon, Manuel Franco, Ana M. Vicedo-Cabrera
Summary: This study aims to explore the association between heat and the incidence of first acute cardiovascular event (CVE) in adults in Madrid, and to assess how social context and other individual characteristics modify the estimated association. The study found that the risk of suffering CVE increased by 15.3% during extreme heat, and males and deprived populations were particularly more affected.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Isabel Romero, Julia Diez, Isabel Del Cura, Manuel Franco, Pedro Gullon
Summary: A study found that diet quality among adults in Madrid is correlated with educational level. The research suggests that while some participants improved their diet quality, there is greater instability in the diet quality of individuals with lower educational levels. This has important implications for addressing socioeconomic disparities in diet quality.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pedro Gullon, Mario Fontan-Vela, Julia Diez, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, David Rojas-Rueda, Francisco Escobar, Manuel Franco
Summary: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between surrounding greenness and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Madrid, taking into consideration the level of deprivation in different areas. The researchers analyzed healthcare records for almost half a million high CVD-risk individuals over a four-year period. They found that an increase in greenness at a distance of 1000 m was associated with a 16% decrease in CVD risk. However, the protective effect of green spaces varied across different levels of deprivation and genders.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYGIENE AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
(2023)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Raquel Vidal, Jesus Rivera-Navarro, Leyre Gravina, Julia Diez, Manuel Franco
Summary: Qualitative research provides valuable insights into the factors influencing adolescents' eating behaviors. This systematic review identified various facilitators and barriers at individual, social, community, and macrosystem levels. This research can inform interventions aimed at improving adolescents' diets.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Maria Sandin Vazquez, Andrea Pastor, Irene Molina de la Fuente, Paloma Conde Espejo, Francisca Sureda Llul
Summary: This study used participatory action research method, with photo voice and nominal group techniques, to identify themes related to alcohol environment and translate them into urban policy recommendations. Participants produced a total of 61 policy recommendations, highlighting the importance of researcher-community collaborations in designing public health interventions.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jesus Rivera-Navarro, Ignacio de Loyola Gonzalez-Salgado, Guadalupe Ramos-Truchero, Leyre Gravina, Julia Diez, Silvia Caballero, Manuel Franco
Summary: This study aims to explore the main factors influencing dietary inequalities in adolescents in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. The study includes six neighborhoods (three in each city) of different socioeconomic status (SES) and uses qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Initial findings suggest that factors such as gender, family environment, and SES have an impact on adolescents' diet. The systematic selection of neighborhoods and secondary schools, along with appropriate methodologies, could benefit future research on health inequalities among adolescents.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Julia Diez, Guillermo Taulet, Mario Fontan-Vela, Yolanda Gonzalez-Rabago, Luis Cereijo, Maria Sandin-Vazquez, Elena Rodriguez, Manuel Franco, Carme Borrell, Usama Bilal, Pedro Gullon
Summary: This study aims to assess the spatial and temporal trends in cardiovascular risk factors by socioeconomic position in Spain from 2001 to 2020, explore public health professionals' perspectives on interventions that may have impacted these inequities, and analyze determinants of social inequities in cardiovascular risk factors.
