Defining, conceptualising and operationalising community empowerment: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Promotion
• Community Health

Background:

• Community empowerment is central to health promotion but lacks a unified definition.
• Existing literature presents diverse conceptualizations, operationalizations, and measurement indicators.
• A synthesis is needed to clarify the meaning and application of community empowerment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize definitions, conceptualizations, operationalizations, and indicators of community empowerment.
• To characterize the current state of knowledge on community empowerment in health promotion literature.
• To provide a foundation for consistent application and measurement of community empowerment.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review following Arksey and O'Malley's methodology.
• Systematic search of major databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, Medline) for studies from 1986 onwards.
• Independent screening, data extraction, and narrative/numerical synthesis by two reviewers.

Main Results:

• The review will present a comprehensive overview of how community empowerment is defined and measured.
• Identified definitions, conceptualizations, operationalizations, and indicators will be synthesized.
• The synthesis will highlight variations and commonalities in the literature.

Conclusions:

• This review will offer clarity on the multifaceted concept of community empowerment in health promotion.
• Findings will aid researchers and practitioners in consistently defining and measuring community empowerment.
• The synthesis will inform future interventions and research on community empowerment and health outcomes.