Faculty Collaboration Database

Science cafés: engaging scientists and community through health and science dialogue. Clin Transl Sci 2014 Jun;7(3):196-200

Date

04/11/2014

Pubmed ID

24716626

Pubmed Central ID

PMC4410806

DOI

10.1111/cts.12153

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84902080956 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   19 Citations

Abstract

Engagement of the community through informal dialogue with researchers and physicians around health and science topics is an important avenue to build understanding and affect health and science literacy. Science Cafés are one model for this casual interchange; however the impact of this approach remains under researched. The Community Engagement Key Function of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin hosted a series of Science Cafés in which topics were collaboratively decided upon by input from the community. Topics ranged from Personalized Medicine to Alzheimer's and Dementia to BioMedical Innovation. A systematic evaluation of the impact of Science Cafés on attendees' self-confidence related to five health and scientific literacy concepts showed statistically significant increases across all items (Mean differences between mean retrospective pre-scores and post-scores, one tailed, paired samples t-test, n=141, p<.0001 for all items). The internal consistency of the five health and scientific literacy items was excellent (n=126, α=0.87). Thematic analysis of attendees' comments provides more nuance about positive experience and suggestions for possible improvements. The evaluation provides important evidence supporting the effectiveness of brief, casual dialogue as a way to increase the public's self-rated confidence in health and science topics.

Author List

Ahmed S, DeFino MC, Connors ER, Kissack A, Franco Z

Author

Zeno Franco PhD Associate Professor in the Family Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Biomedical Research
Community-Based Participatory Research
Community-Institutional Relations
Female
Health Literacy
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Wisconsin
Young Adult