Visual and participatory research techniques: photo-elicitation and its potential to better inform public health about physical activity and eating behavior in underserved populations (original) (raw)
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Health Promotion Practice, 2013
Photovoice is a community-based participatory research method that provides participants who traditionally have little voice in community policy decisions, with training in photography, ethics, critical dialogue, photo captioning, and policy advocacy. Photovoice has been used primarily as a needs assessment and advocacy tool and only rarely as a pre-/postintervention evaluation method. This article describes the use of Photovoice as a participatory evaluation method in the Community Health Initiative, a 6-year, multisite community-based obesity prevention initiative, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente. Fifty community participants (including six youth) from six Community Health Initiative communities used photos and captions to identify, from their perspective, the most significant accomplishments from the initiative at both baseline and follow-up. Accomplishments identified included increased access to fresh/healthy food in local neighborhoods; policy changes supporting a “healthy eati...
Background: Over one-third of US adolescents are overweight, and about 18% are obese. Prevalence is similar in New York City adolescents, with disparities across socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. Photovoice is a participatory approach that allows participants to communicate experiences through photographs and interviews. The purpose of this pilot study was to increase adolescent awareness of positive and negative influences on dietary and physical activity (PA) behaviors, and increase understanding of the perceived role of the physician in influencing these behaviors. Methods: Seven adolescents aged 13–19 years diagnosed with overweight or obesity were recruited from a government insurance-based pediatric clinic at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Participants completed photovoice assignments and individual interviews addressing perceived barriers, strategies, and influences related to healthy dietary and PA behaviors. Interviews were transcribed and reviewed to identify key themes across participants. Results: Barriers to healthy eating included family and cost; strategies included controlling portion sizes and eating in moderation. Barriers to PA included academic pressures/homework and the neighborhood environment; strategies included making PA fun and social support. Participants identified the major role of the physician and physical education teachers in influencing health behaviors, and the desire for increased or different communication with the physician to facilitate healthy eating and PA. Participant awareness of health behaviors was increased as a result of study participation. Conclusions: Photovoice is a unique method to engage adolescents around personal dietary and PA influences and behaviors. Increased awareness of personal health behaviors may help promote positive behavioral change.
The Teen Photovoice Project: A Pilot Study to Promote Health Through Advocacy
Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 2007
Background-Clinicians, public health practitioners, and policymakers would like to understand how youth perceive health issues and how they can become advocates for health promotion in their communities. 1 ,2 Traditional research methods can be used to capture these perceptions, but are limited in their ability to activate (excite and engage) youth to participate in health promotion activities.
Practical Guidance and Ethical Considerations for Studies Using Photo-Elicitation Interviews
Preventing Chronic Disease, 2014
Photo-elicitation is a qualitative interviewing technique that has gained popularity in recent years. It is the foundation for photovoice projects and is a tool well-suited for community-based participatory research. Photo-elicitation yields rich data, and interview participants say these interviews encourage community awareness and engagement. This article draws on 9 studies, conducted by researchers at 3 institutions (the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth) in partnership with community-based organizations and students, in which 303 participants completed photo-elicitation interviews. We offer 8 practical suggestions for overcoming challenges encountered during photo-elicitation research and for managing ethical concerns about the use of visual data in public health research. Our guidelines can inform study design, protocol development, and institutional review board approval.
Global pediatric health, 2020
Background: Children have benefited from participation in obesity prevention programs. Aims: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of a healthy eating intervention for children in after-school programs and to use photovoice to document change in eating behavior. Methods: Forty-two children in three after-school programs participated. Children participated in lessons from an existing program to learn about healthy eating. A mixed methods study was conducted, using surveys to assess parent and child perceptions, and photovoice to capture children's perceptions of how they and their family changed eating habits. Member-checking was used to verify themes in the data. Twenty parents completed surveys evaluating the program. Results: Findings indicated that children learned program information, were interested in eating healthier (more fruits and vegetables), and quantitative data revealed there was a pre-post trend for eating more fruits at home. They reported that using the photovoice method helped them to monitor their behavior and helped them improve personal and family eating habits. Member checking confirmed themes. A majority of parents were satisfied with the program and reported that their children were discussing what they learned at home. Conclusions: Findings suggested that the photovoice methodology helped children to change in a positive way, increasing their agency in improving their own health and that of their family. Assessing longitudinal change in attitudes about healthy eating and eating behaviors will provide information about whether children maintain gains in knowledge and healthy eating over time.
Photovoice Engages Rural Youth in Childhood Obesity Prevention
Public Health Nursing, 2010
Photovoice is a participatory action research methodology that involves the use of photography and enables people to document, reflect upon, and communicate community needs to policymakers for the purpose of promoting social change. We describe how photovoice was used to engage rural youth in childhood obesity prevention research and obtain their perspectives of community assets and barriers that influenced children's physical activity and diets in their county. The photographs and stories produced by the youth garnered public interest and were beneficial in raising community awareness of community conditions that may contribute to childhood obesity and the need for environmental change. Utilization of the method also provided a beneficial leadership experience for the youth participants.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
A current challenge in physical activity research is engaging citizens with co-creating policies that support physical activity participation. Using Photovoice, a participatory action research method, the objectives of this study were to: 1) Identify community perceptions of urban built, social, and political/economic environment factors associated with physical activity; and 2) generate community-driven policy recommendations to increase physical activity. Two districts in Madrid of varying socio-economic status (SES) were selected. Overall, 24 residents participated in 4 groups stratified by sex and district (6 participants per group). Groups met weekly for 4 weeks to discuss and analyze their photographs. Participants coded photographs into categories, which were then regrouped into broader themes. The categories were transformed into policy recommendations using an adaptation of the logical framework approach. Participants took 161 photos, which were classified into 61 categorie...
Health Promotion Practice, 2017
Most low-income Americans fail to meet physical activity recommendations. Inactivity and poor diet contribute to obesity, a risk factor for multiple chronic diseases. Health promotion activities have the potential to improve health outcomes for low-income populations. Measuring the effectiveness of these activities, however, can be challenging in community settings. A “Biking for Health” study tested the impact of a bicycling intervention on overweight or obese low-income Latino and African American adults to reduce barriers to cycling and increase physical activity and fitness. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in summer 2015. A 12-week bicycling intervention was implemented at two sites with low-income, overweight, or obese Latino and African American adults. We found that randomized controlled trial methodology was suboptimal for use in this small pilot study and that it negatively affected participation. More discussion is needed about the effe...
2019
Extension engaged rural Idaho community stakeholders to assess local resources and readiness to address obesogenic contexts through use of the Extension tool HEAL MAPPS. Through participatory photomapping, focus group involvement, and a community readiness conversation, residents identified environmental resources and local efforts as supports for and barriers to healthful eating and active living. Findings indicated that the community was "vaguely aware" that rural obesity risk is a socioenvironmentally determined issue. Extension professionals using HEAL MAPPS effectively promoted new and shared knowledge of weight health resources among community members, enabled rural residents to have a voice in addressing the community context, and empowered community actions.