# Engaging Participants Through Hybrid Community-Centered Approaches: Lessons Learned During the COVID CommUNITY Public Health Research Program

## TL;DR

This paper shares lessons from a public health study on how to engage communities during the pandemic using culturally responsive and flexible methods.

## Contribution

The paper introduces practical strategies for hybrid community-centered research during public health crises.

## Key findings

- Socially distanced blood sample collections, like 'Porch Pickups,' improved data collection during the pandemic.
- Culturally tailored recruitment strategies, such as gift-exchange incentives, enhanced engagement with South Asian communities.
- Regular team meetings helped address challenges and refine communication and cultural responsiveness in real-time.

## Abstract

Community-centered research studies can improve trust, cultural appropriateness, and accurate findings through meaningful, in-depth engagement with participants. During the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers shifted to implement pandemic-specific guidelines on top of already existing safety practices; these adjustments gave insight into bettering the structure of forthcoming research studies. At the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI)/McMaster University, the COVID CommUNITY study staff took field notes from their experience at the Ontario (ON) and British Columbia (BC) sites navigating an observational prospective cohort study during the pandemic. These field notes are outlined below to provide insight into culturally responsive, trust-centered, and communication-focused strategies used to improve hybrid research. A significant challenge the team overcame was obtaining blood sample collections by executing socially distanced sample collections outside of participants’ homes, coined “Porch Pickups.” Data collection was made more accessible through phone surveys and frequent virtual contact. To enhance recruitment strategies for sub-communities of the South Asian population, staff focused on cultural interests and “gift-exchange” incentives. Cultural awareness was prioritized through correct name pronunciation, conducting data collection in participant preferred languages, and using flexible approaches to data collection. These strategies were developed through weekly team meetings where improvement strategies were discussed, and concerns were addressed in real-time.