title: Communication in a Human biomonitoring study: Focus group work, public engagement and lessons learnt in 17 European countries.
abstract: A communication strategy was developed by The Consortium to Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale (COPHES), as part of its objectives to develop a framework and protocols to enable the collection of comparable human biomonitoring data throughout Europe. The framework and protocols were tested in the pilot study DEMOCOPHES (Demonstration of a study to Coordinate and Perform Human biomonitoring on a European Scale). The aims of the communication strategy were to raise awareness of human biomonitoring, encourage participation in the study and to communicate the study results and their public health significance. It identified the audiences and key messages, documented the procedure for dissemination of results and was updated as the project progressed. A communication plan listed the tools and materials such as press releases, flyers, recruitment letters and information leaflets required for each audience with a time frame for releasing them. Public insight research was used to evaluate the recruitment material, and the feedback was used to improve the documents. Dissemination of results was coordinated in a step by step approach by the participating countries within DEMOCOPHES, taking into account specific national messages according to the needs of each country. Participants received individual results, unless they refused to be informed, along with guidance on what the results meant. The aggregate results and policy recommendations were then communicated to the general public and stakeholders, followed by dissemination at European level. Several lessons were learnt that may assist other future human biomonitoring studies. Recruitment took longer than anticipated and so social scientists, to help with community engagement, should be part of the research team from the start. As a European study, involving multiple countries, additional considerations were needed for the numerous organisations, different languages, cultures, policies and priorities. Therefore, communication documents should be seen as templates with essential information clearly indicated and the option for each country to tailor the material to reflect these differences. Future studies should consider setting up multidisciplinary networks of medical professionals and communication experts, and holding training workshops to discuss the interpretation of results and risk communication. Publicity and wide dissemination of the results helped to raise awareness of human biomonitoring to the general public, policy makers and other key stakeholders. Effective and timely communication, at all stages of a study, is essential if the potential of human biomonitoring research to improve public health is to be realised.
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Chilton, Didcot, South Oxfordshire OX10 8BW, United Kingdom. Electronic address: karen.exley@phe.gov.uk.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Exley
authors.affiliation: Independent TV Director and Communications Consultant, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Noemi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cano
authors.affiliation: Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aerts
authors.affiliation: Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Biot
authors.affiliation: University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ludwine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casteleyn
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Marike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kolossa-Gehring
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Gerda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schwedler
authors.affiliation: Environmental Toxicology, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Argelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castaño
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance-Institute of the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Angerer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance-Institute of the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum (IPA), Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Holger M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Environmental Toxicology, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esteban
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health Unit, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Greet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schoeters
authors.affiliation: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Environmental Risk and Health Unit, Belgium.
authors.forename: Elly
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Den Hond
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horvat
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Science International, Hulst, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bloemen
authors.affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lisbeth E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Knudsen
authors.affiliation: BiPRO GmbH, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Joas
authors.affiliation: BiPRO GmbH, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joas
authors.affiliation: Hainaut Vigilance Sanitaire and Hygiene Publique in Hainaut, Mons, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Dewolf
authors.affiliation: Provincial Institute for Hygiene, Kronenburgstraat 45, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Els
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Van de Mieroop
authors.affiliation: State General Laboratory (SGL), Ministry of Health, Republic of Cyprus.
authors.forename: Andromachi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katsonouri
authors.affiliation: Larnaca General Hospital, Ministry of Health, Republic of Cyprus.
authors.forename: Adamos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hadjipanayis
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerna
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krskova
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fiddicke
authors.affiliation: Federal Environment Agency (UBA), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Margarete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Seiwert
authors.affiliation: University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Thit A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Mørck
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Environmental Health, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rudnai
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Environmental Health, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Szilvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kozepesy
authors.affiliation: Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.affiliation: Health Service Executive, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kellegher
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Public Gabriel Lippmann, Belvaux, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Arno C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gutleb
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire National de Santé, Dudelange, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Marc E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ligocka
authors.affiliation: Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kamińska
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Lisbon Faculty of Medicine, Portugal.
authors.forename: Sónia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Namorado
authors.affiliation: Institute of Preventive Medicine, Lisbon Faculty of Medicine, Portugal.
authors.forename: M Fátima
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Center, Cluj, Romania.
authors.forename: Ioana-Rodica
authors.initials: IR
authors.lastname: Lupsa
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Center, Cluj, Romania.
authors.forename: Anca E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Gurzau
authors.affiliation: Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halzlova
authors.affiliation: Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jajcaj
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Darja
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazej
authors.affiliation: Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Janja Snoj
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Tratnik
authors.affiliation: Environmental Toxicology, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Huetos
authors.affiliation: Environmental Toxicology, Centro Nacional de Sanidad Ambiental, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Majadahonda, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berglund
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.affiliation: Public Health England, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Chilton, Didcot, South Oxfordshire OX10 8BW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ovnair
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sepai
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D003256:Community Participation; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005060:Europe; D017144:Focus Groups; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D007391:International Cooperation; D016730:Program Development; D011640:Public Policy; D012107:Research Design; D012494:Sampling Studies
keywords: Biomonitoring; Communication; Participatory research; Public insight