On Friday November 13th, Engaging Richmond hosted a celebration luncheon at the East District Family Resource Center to celebrate the work and contributions of project participants in VCU Center on Society and Health’s SEED Method Study, a novel approach designed to engage community stakeholders in developing research questions around health related topics.
These community stakeholders were brought together by their personal or professional experience with diabetes and hypertension, either as patients or service providers. They participated in a series of meetings throughout the summer to discuss and explore the many factors that influence a person’s ability to follow the recommended diet for these conditions. Participation included developing conceptual models (see examples of models in posters below) that diagrammed the complex relationships that exist between these factors, and creating research questions that reflect their concerns and priorities.
In total, the stakeholder groups developed and prioritized 19 research questions on a variety of topics related to dietary compliance and diabetes/hypertension self-management. These include: Mental health and substance abuse; Health care quality and communication; The physical, social, and political environment; Health behaviors and health education; Self-management and clinical care; and Economic and health policies.
During the celebration event, participants were able to mix and mingle with each other, as well as view the conceptual models and list of research questions each group created. It was a wonderful chance for Engaging Richmond and VCU research staff to reconnect with stakeholders and report back to them on how their work has been used throughout the project, and will continue to be used and distributed in the future.
Currently, the VCU SEED researchers are in the midst of refining each of these 19 research questions and preparing them for publication. Using the final set of research questions, the goal is to develop a research agenda that is disseminated out to the community, researchers, policymakers, advocates, funders and those in power to effect change and act upon these stakeholder-driven research questions.
