April 4-6, 2024 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Innovations in Health Communication
Innovations in Health Communication
Abstract: Project SCORES – Lessons Learned and Recommendations for Future Community-Based Research
Background Literature and Guiding Theory
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are diverse (e.g., violence, neglect, substance abuse) and are linked to negative effects (e.g., chronic health issues, mental illness) (Kalmakis & Chandler, 2014; Karatekin & Hill, 2019). In the United States, 45% of children have experienced at least one ACE with economic hardship among the most common (Sacks & Murphey, 2018). Claiming the federal earned income tax credit (EITC) has the potential to help alleviate ACEs rooted in economic hardship (Shaefer et al., 2018) but 20% of EITC eligible taxpayers do not claim it, though thousands of free tax preparation services are available through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) (IRS, 2023). Project SCORES was a federal grant funded, multi-organizational effort to increase public utilization of VITA services in a lower-income urban community. Guided by evaluation procedures (Noar, 2012; Saunders, Evans, & Joshi, 2005), this project examines methods and tasks as well as administrative and organizational components of the project. Lessons learned hold great value for health communication researchers engaging in community-based campaign work and those working on applied health topics with diverse partner teams.
Method
Upon project completion, 13 participants from eight organizations (e.g., leaders of major hospital systems, United Way, local clinics), were interviewed to gain a better understanding of the strengths, challenges, and lessons learned related to program implementation. An interview protocol developed by the researchers was shared with the primary partner for feedback and the project was approved by a university Institutional Review Board (IRB). The interview protocol included questions addressing the successes and struggles of implementation, the programs’ effectiveness, and ways to improve and sustain similar projects in the future. Participants were emailed directly to schedule video interviews, which were recorded with participants’ consent, lasted between 35 and 55 minutes, and were transcribed by trained researchers. Multiple trained researchers are thoroughly examining the transcripts using Owen’s (1984) steps of thematic analysis including close reading and coding for frequency and intensity to address the research questions posed.
Initial Findings
Preliminary analyses of interviews reveal positive outcomes and experiences include collaborations between community and primary partners that effectively accomplished the project goals. Primary organization responsiveness and adaptability to the needs of community partners, including the implementation of incentives (e.g., gift cards) for participation and the use of technology contributed to this success. The major struggles of the project center around the timing of the first year’s project roll-out, which was during COVID and after many eligible participants had filed their taxes, difficulties in communicating eligibility requirements to potential participants, and the lack of an easy means to follow up with potential participants. Participants indicated that Project SCORES and future programs like it must prioritize fit between community partners, the priority population, and the primary partner by investing time in fully understanding each the operations of community partner to create fruitful and effective partnerships to best serve the program priority population. Findings will provide helpful guidance for individuals engaging in broad community-based health communication partnership research.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are diverse (e.g., violence, neglect, substance abuse) and are linked to negative effects (e.g., chronic health issues, mental illness) (Kalmakis & Chandler, 2014; Karatekin & Hill, 2019). In the United States, 45% of children have experienced at least one ACE with economic hardship among the most common (Sacks & Murphey, 2018). Claiming the federal earned income tax credit (EITC) has the potential to help alleviate ACEs rooted in economic hardship (Shaefer et al., 2018) but 20% of EITC eligible taxpayers do not claim it, though thousands of free tax preparation services are available through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) (IRS, 2023). Project SCORES was a federal grant funded, multi-organizational effort to increase public utilization of VITA services in a lower-income urban community. Guided by evaluation procedures (Noar, 2012; Saunders, Evans, & Joshi, 2005), this project examines methods and tasks as well as administrative and organizational components of the project. Lessons learned hold great value for health communication researchers engaging in community-based campaign work and those working on applied health topics with diverse partner teams.
Method
Upon project completion, 13 participants from eight organizations (e.g., leaders of major hospital systems, United Way, local clinics), were interviewed to gain a better understanding of the strengths, challenges, and lessons learned related to program implementation. An interview protocol developed by the researchers was shared with the primary partner for feedback and the project was approved by a university Institutional Review Board (IRB). The interview protocol included questions addressing the successes and struggles of implementation, the programs’ effectiveness, and ways to improve and sustain similar projects in the future. Participants were emailed directly to schedule video interviews, which were recorded with participants’ consent, lasted between 35 and 55 minutes, and were transcribed by trained researchers. Multiple trained researchers are thoroughly examining the transcripts using Owen’s (1984) steps of thematic analysis including close reading and coding for frequency and intensity to address the research questions posed.
Initial Findings
Preliminary analyses of interviews reveal positive outcomes and experiences include collaborations between community and primary partners that effectively accomplished the project goals. Primary organization responsiveness and adaptability to the needs of community partners, including the implementation of incentives (e.g., gift cards) for participation and the use of technology contributed to this success. The major struggles of the project center around the timing of the first year’s project roll-out, which was during COVID and after many eligible participants had filed their taxes, difficulties in communicating eligibility requirements to potential participants, and the lack of an easy means to follow up with potential participants. Participants indicated that Project SCORES and future programs like it must prioritize fit between community partners, the priority population, and the primary partner by investing time in fully understanding each the operations of community partner to create fruitful and effective partnerships to best serve the program priority population. Findings will provide helpful guidance for individuals engaging in broad community-based health communication partnership research.