Addressing opioid misuse through community-engaged strategy development: study protocol of a randomized controlled...

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Public health interventions
• Rural health studies

Background:

• Stakeholder involvement enhances collaboration and community action for well-being.
• Evidence is needed on community-engaged research (CER) for health and engagement outcomes.
• This study evaluates CER methods for addressing the rural opioid epidemic.

Purpose of the Study:

• To increase the evidence base for CER methods via a randomized controlled trial.
• To compare the effectiveness of the SEED Method and a modified Delphi method.
• To inform the development of local strategies for the opioid epidemic.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 144 participants across three rural communities.
• Two communities utilized the SEED Method; one used a modified Delphi method.
• Primary outcome: change in self-reported civic engagement using the Individual Mobilization Scale.

Main Results:

• Data collected from stakeholder participants, research team members, and focus group participants.
• Analysis of changes in civic engagement and the development of locally tailored action strategies.
• Exploration of how participant roles influenced observed effects.

Conclusions:

• The study will elucidate the effectiveness of two CER methods in increasing civic engagement and strategy development for opioid misuse in rural counties.
• Findings will inform the selection and implementation of effective CER approaches.
• Understanding the influence of participant roles is crucial for optimizing CER.