Citizen science for research in public health: perspective

Abstract

In order to enhance health and lessen inequities, public engagement strategies that unite various stakeholders to jointly identify issues and develop alternatives are acknowledged as an essential tactic to support research-informed policy and implementation. Through the use of citizen science methods, researchers can collect and analyze more information and make research more cost-effective by enlisting members of the public as participants. Research on health has already been greatly impacted by the vast and unique data sets acquired through citizen science methodologies. Engaging community viewpoints into public health research and policy-making has proven difficult. Thus, research capacity must be developed to allow academics and policy-making and implementation stakeholders to meaningfully interact with the public. A fundamental tenet of public health is involving the community, which is seen as being vital in ensuring that initiatives and regulations designed for enhancing health and welfare that are pertinent to local needs and make the most from scarce resources.