B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland
Objective Public engagement and science communication are growing as an important forum in the design and dissemination of research. The B!RTH programme is a partnership that uses theatre in combination with scientific expert panel discussions to raise awareness about the global inequality in women’...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2019-12-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e027531.full |
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| author | Nynke van den Broek Mary McCauley Joanne Thomas Cristianne Connor |
| author_facet | Nynke van den Broek Mary McCauley Joanne Thomas Cristianne Connor |
| author_sort | Nynke van den Broek |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective Public engagement and science communication are growing as an important forum in the design and dissemination of research. The B!RTH programme is a partnership that uses theatre in combination with scientific expert panel discussions to raise awareness about the global inequality in women’s health and access to healthcare. As part of this project, we assessed the views and experiences of audiences participating in B!RTH events.Design We conducted a multi-site mixed-methods survey using paper-based questionnaires.Settings Data were collected at four B!RTH theatre and science events: Dublin (Ireland), Edinburgh (Scotland), Geneva (Switzerland) and Liverpool (England) after the performance of four plays and three expert panel discussions.Participants All audience members.Methods Descriptive analysis was conducted for the responses to the closed-ended survey questions, and thematic analysis was used for written free text provided.Results The estimated response rate was 42%; 363 members of the audiences responded. Most respondents had been emotionally moved by the performances (92.8%) and felt challenged and provoked (80.7%). Many respondents (73.6%) agreed that their eyes had been opened by new ideas. Five themes emerged from the free-text analysis: (1) an expression of thanks and positive feedback on the content and performance of the plays, (2) the benefit of and innovative use of art and science, (3) personal feelings in response to the plays and panel discussions, (4) the need for action and (5) suggestions for use of the plays and panel discussions in schools and universities to ‘bring to life the human story behind the statistics’.Conclusions The B!RTH programme highlights how art and science can be used in partnership and is an effective tool to engage the public, to deliver key messages and to raise awareness about inequalities in global maternal and reproductive healthcare issues. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-611c5f27b46c4c14aeffec2bed4d3089 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-611c5f27b46c4c14aeffec2bed4d30892025-08-20T02:51:03ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552019-12-0191210.1136/bmjopen-2018-027531B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and SwitzerlandNynke van den Broek0Mary McCauley1Joanne Thomas2Cristianne Connor3Centre for Maternal and Newborn Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UKCentre for Maternal and Newborn Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK2 Faculty of Life Science and Education, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UKCentre for Maternal and Newborn Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UKObjective Public engagement and science communication are growing as an important forum in the design and dissemination of research. The B!RTH programme is a partnership that uses theatre in combination with scientific expert panel discussions to raise awareness about the global inequality in women’s health and access to healthcare. As part of this project, we assessed the views and experiences of audiences participating in B!RTH events.Design We conducted a multi-site mixed-methods survey using paper-based questionnaires.Settings Data were collected at four B!RTH theatre and science events: Dublin (Ireland), Edinburgh (Scotland), Geneva (Switzerland) and Liverpool (England) after the performance of four plays and three expert panel discussions.Participants All audience members.Methods Descriptive analysis was conducted for the responses to the closed-ended survey questions, and thematic analysis was used for written free text provided.Results The estimated response rate was 42%; 363 members of the audiences responded. Most respondents had been emotionally moved by the performances (92.8%) and felt challenged and provoked (80.7%). Many respondents (73.6%) agreed that their eyes had been opened by new ideas. Five themes emerged from the free-text analysis: (1) an expression of thanks and positive feedback on the content and performance of the plays, (2) the benefit of and innovative use of art and science, (3) personal feelings in response to the plays and panel discussions, (4) the need for action and (5) suggestions for use of the plays and panel discussions in schools and universities to ‘bring to life the human story behind the statistics’.Conclusions The B!RTH programme highlights how art and science can be used in partnership and is an effective tool to engage the public, to deliver key messages and to raise awareness about inequalities in global maternal and reproductive healthcare issues.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e027531.full |
| spellingShingle | Nynke van den Broek Mary McCauley Joanne Thomas Cristianne Connor B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland BMJ Open |
| title | B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland |
| title_full | B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland |
| title_fullStr | B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland |
| title_full_unstemmed | B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland |
| title_short | B!RTH: a mixed-methods survey of audience members’ reflections of a global women’s health arts and science programme in England, Ireland, Scotland and Switzerland |
| title_sort | b rth a mixed methods survey of audience members reflections of a global women s health arts and science programme in england ireland scotland and switzerland |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/9/12/e027531.full |
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