141st APHA Annual Meeting

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Community engagement for climate-ready communities: The role of community based participatory research (CBPR) in local climate adaptation planning and evaluation

Monday, November 4, 2013

Semra Aytur, PhD, MPH , Department of Health Management and Policy, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Paul Kirshen, PhD , Department of Civil Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Mimi Becker, PhD , Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Sylvia von Aulock, MS , Town of Exeter, Exeter, NH
Stephen Jones, PhD , Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Michele Holt-Shannon, MA , Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Bruce Mallory, PhD , Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Chris Keeley, MS , Carsey Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
David Burdick, PhD , Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Paul Stacey, MS , Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, Durham, NH
Cameron Wake, PhD , Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Robert Roseen, PhD , Civil and Water Resources Engineering, University of New Hampshire, Geosyntec, Durham, NH
Steve Miller, MS , Great Bay Discovery Center, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, Greenland, NH
Kalle Matso, PhD , CICEET, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Cory Riley, MS , NOAA Estuarine Reserves Program, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
Preparing for climate change requires community engagement and transdisciplinary, cross-sectoral collaboration. However, little is known about the role of Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) within the context of local climate adaptation planning and evaluation. We present lessons learned from the first year of a two-year, collaborative adaptation planning process in Exeter, New Hampshire. Exeter aims to develop one of the most rigorous local climate adaptation plans in the northeast by 2014. CBPR is being utilized within the adaptation planning process through: (1) A structured community engagement process to ensure that the plan reflects Exeter's values, priorities, and perspectives; (2) Utilization of participatory action research methods, including participatory modeling, to capture stakeholders' input; and (3) A developmental evaluation designed to respond to evolving community needs.

Results from a baseline meeting with town staff, land-use board members, and stakeholders representing 12 different sectors indicated broad-based support for a public health perspective within the process. On a five-point Likert scale (1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree)), most stakeholders rated public health messages about prevention and co-benefits as effective (mean(m))=4.58 (sd 0.51)); reported making new connections between climate variability, water quality, land use, biodiversity, health, and economic impacts (m 4.67 (sd 0.49)); and formed new community-academic partnerships (m=4.63 (sd 0.52)). Ongoing engagement activities include targeted outreach to diverse community groups, public Listening Sessions, and formation of scientist-citizen work-groups. Academic-community partners will explore ways to integrate climate change and public health considerations into local planning, highlighting opportunities to expand CBPR to support climate-ready communities.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Environmental health sciences
Other professions or practice related to public health
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Discuss the role of CBPR in climate adaptation planning processes; Define participatory action research (PAR) methods that can be used to inform the development of a climate adaptation plan; Discuss new opportunities and challenges of integrating a public health prevention perspective into climate adaptation planning; Discuss the use of developmental evaluation within a local climate adaptation planning process

Keywords: Climate Change, Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently a Co-Investigator on a transdisciplinary study funded by NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System Science Collaborative entitled “Collaborative Planning for Health and Climate Change Adaptation: A Case Study in Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.” As the Collaboration and Evaluation Lead for this project, I designed a two-year collaborative public engagement process that incorporates Participatory Action Research and deliberative democracy processes, in conjunction with a developmental evaluation approach.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3379.0: Engaging Communities in Research: Best Practices
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