Engaging with Community Researchers for Exposure Science: Lessons Learned from a Pesticide Biomonitoring Study

PLoS One. 2015 Aug 26;10(8):e0136347. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136347. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

A major challenge in biomonitoring studies with members of the general public is ensuring their continued involvement throughout the necessary length of the research. The paper presents evidence on the use of community researchers, recruited from local study areas, as a mechanism for ensuring effective recruitment and retention of farmer and resident participants for a pesticides biomonitoring study. The evidence presented suggests that community researchers' abilities to build and sustain trusting relationships with participants enhanced the rigour of the study as a result of their on-the-ground responsiveness and flexibility resulting in data collection beyond targets expected.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Communication*
  • Data Collection
  • Environmental Exposure / analysis*
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Humans
  • Personnel Selection / methods*
  • Pesticides / chemistry
  • Pesticides / toxicity*
  • Research Design
  • Research Personnel
  • Residence Characteristics

Substances

  • Pesticides

Grants and funding

This work was funded by the UK Government Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), project code PS2620. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.