DECIPHer had a strong presence at the recent European Society for Prevention Research (EUSPR) conference, which was held online over three days in October. This year’s theme was ‘Make prevention science relevant for all: Co-production and impact’.
The event started with pre-conference workshops, including an early career workshop run by Jeremy Segrott and Peter Gee. This explored ways of consulting the public on aspects of the research process such as research aims and questions; study procedures (e.g. information for participants); recruitment strategies and data analysis and dissemination activities.
The workshop considered three key questions:
What are the potential benefits of public involvement (for research, and for members of the public)?
How best should public involvement be planned and undertaken?
What are some of the key challenges to undertaking high quality public involvement, and how can they be addressed?
On the opening day of the main conference, Dr Segrott and Ina Koning (Utrecht University) ran a session on ‘parenting during COVID-19’. Drawing on a recent survey of EUSPR members, and ongoing research, the session explored the impact of the current pandemic on parents and families; the provision of support for families; and the ways in which parenting interventions have adapted during the health crisis.
In particular it discussed how existing face to face group-based interventions have been adapted for online delivery, and the implications for programme theory, implementation fidelity and reach across different sections of the population.
Dr Segrott, who is also Past President of the EUSPR, said: ‘This was a great opportunity to share the experience we have gained in DECIPHer with an international network of researchers, and to further promote the inclusion of public involvement in prevention science.’
Next year’s conference ‘Prevention – Between Ethics and Effectiveness’ will take place on September 29th – October 1st, 2021, in Tallinn, Estonia. More information on this event can be found on the EUSPR website.
To find out more about the Public Involvement Short Course, click here.