Designing for dissemination through community advisory board engagement in an implementation mapping process: A case study

Introduction The purpose of this study was to document the development of a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to enhance equitable dissemination of research findings within an implementation mapping study to enhance equitable impact of Universal School Meals (USM) through the Designing for Dissemination and Sustainability (D4DS) process. Methods The D4DS process comprises 7 key elements to facilitate meaningful dissemination. To accomplish Step 1: Identify Partners, the research team conducted snowball recruitment methods within the local Philadelphia community and with existing connections. To Empathize and Outline the Problem (Step 2) and Understand the Context (Step 3), an interest meeting was held followed by monthly meetings. Our team Confirmed and Co-designed the Product (Step 4) and Developed the Dissemination Plan (Step 5) through collaborative brainstorming sessions. Finally, we started the Iterative Evaluation (Step 6) and Plan for Sustainability (Step 7) by administering a baseline and follow-up survey measuring CAB members' perceived utility, effectiveness, and sustainability of the board. Results The final CAB included 8 members. The co-created dissemination products and plan comprised a 2-page infographic, social media toolkits, and a webinar slide deck, which were disseminated locally by the research team via presentations, websites, and email communication, in spring 2024. Initial findings from baseline and follow-up surveys indicated that CAB members benefited from skill development, compensation, writing credit, and autonomy in dissemination designing. Conclusions Sharing power and decision-making enhanced the capacity for local-level dissemination, which is much needed to advance the science of community partnerships.