Citizen Science For Health In All Policies: Engaging communities in knowledge development

Health in All Policies (HiAP), a horizontal strategy connecting all relevant policy sectors, is internationally recognised as a core policy approach to improve the population’s health. For HiAP to be effective, it is recommended that both a Whole of Government and a Whole of Society approach is applied. In the Netherlands, HiAP has been in place since the late eighties of last century. Initially the focus has been on the Whole of Government approach; more recently this is amended by a national Whole of Society program.This thesis addresses the possible role of Citizen Science as a possible contribution to the knowledge base underpinning HiAP and a Whole of Society approach. Citizen Science, as the active contribution of citizens in research, links up with asset-based approaches
and community participation that are key elements in modern health promotion.
Key questions of the thesis were:
“What are possible methods to engage citizens in developing the knowledge base for Health in All Policies (HiAP), and what are challenges and benefits of such engagement?”
This thesis draws, firstly, on a theoretical exploration in which the application of Citizen Science in public health is explored. Secondly, two case studies on the application of Citizen Science in the Netherlands were performed. Thirdly, two scoping reviews were
performed. Finally, one case study was carried out focusing on perceptions of health professionals in a Dutch city district.