# Community Engagement Within the Evaluation of Public Policies for Zoonotic Spillover Prevention: A Secondary Matrix Analysis

## TL;DR

This study examines how local communities are involved in evaluating policies to prevent zoonotic spillover, finding significant gaps in community engagement.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a secondary matrix analysis to assess the level of community engagement in spillover prevention policy evaluations.

## Key findings

- 55 out of 95 articles showed no community engagement in spillover prevention policy evaluations.
- Engaged articles included community consultation, training, and culturally sensitive data collection.
- The study highlights ongoing equity issues in involving affected communities in policy research.

## Abstract

Despite the overall health, economic, and social costs of zoonotic spillover, its impacts are not felt equally around the globe. Engaging local communities in primary spillover prevention may help to better ensure equity is considered in research and policy-making activities. Our study aimed to gain an understanding of how and at what level community engagement (CE) has been incorporated into the evaluation of public policies for zoonotic spillover prevention. We conducted a secondary analysis on an existing dataset from a systematic review, beginning with a structured deductive content analysis. A secondary matrix of analysis was engaged using an adapted CE tool for screening the included articles based on their level of CE. We then characterized relevant themes based on the CE elements within the included articles. Of the 95 articles included, 55 had no level of CE reported. Among the included articles that had some level of CE, elements included the platforming of community consultation, community training for involvement in spillover prevention research, cultural and language considerations being engaged, community protection and awareness programmes for public health and biosecurity, and community-centered data collection processes being engaged. Our findings highlight the persistent equity gaps in appropriately engaging affected communities within the evaluation of public policies for spillover prevention.