BACKGROUND Community engagement is central to the conduct of health-related research studies as a way to determine priorities, inform study design and implementation, increase recruitment and retention, build relationships, and ensure that research meets the goals of the community. Community sensitization meetings, a form of community engagement, are often held prior to the initiation of research studies to provide information about upcoming study activities and resolve concerns in consultation with potential participants. This study estimated demographic, health, economic, and social network correlates of attendance at community sensitization meetings held in advance of a whole-population, combined behavioral, and biomedical research study in rural Uganda. METHODS AND FINDINGS Research assistants collected survey data from 1,630 adults participating in an ongoing sociocentric social network cohort study conducted in a rural region of southwestern Uganda. These community survey data, collected between 2016 and 2018, were linked to attendance logs from community sensitization meetings held in 2018 and 2019 before the subsequent community survey and community health fair. Of all participants, 264 (16%) attended a community sensitization meeting before the community survey, 464 (28%) attended a meeting before the community health fair, 558 (34%) attended a meeting before either study activity (survey or health fair), and 170 (10%) attended a meeting before both study activities (survey and health fair). Using multivariable Poisson regression models, we estimated correlates of attendance at community sensitization meetings. Attendance was more likely among study participants who were women (adjusted relative risk [ARR]health fair = 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.32 to 2.21, p < 0.001), older age (ARRsurvey = 1.02 per year, 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.02, p < 0.001; ARRhealth fair = 1.02 per year, 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.02, p < 0.001), married (ARRsurvey = 1.74, 95% CI, 1.29 to 2.35, p < 0.001; ARRhealth fair = 1.41, 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.76, p = 0.002), and members of more community groups (ARRsurvey = 1.26 per group, 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.44, p = 0.001; ARRhealth fair = 1.26 per group, 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.43, p < 0.001). Attendance was less likely among study participants who lived farther from meeting locations (ARRsurvey = 0.54 per kilometer, 95% CI, 0.30 to 0.97, p = 0.041; ARRhealth fair = 0.57 per kilometer, 95% CI, 0.38 to 0.86, p = 0.007). Leveraging the cohort's sociocentric design, social network analyses suggested that information conveyed during community sensitization meetings could reach a broader group of potential study participants through attendees' social network and household connections. Study limitations include lack of detailed data on reasons for attendance/nonattendance at community sensitization meetings; achieving a representative sample of community members was not an explicit aim of the study; and generalizability may not extend beyond this study setting. CONCLUSIONS In this longitudinal, sociocentric social network study conducted in rural Uganda, we observed that older age, female sex, being married, membership in more community groups, and geographical proximity to meeting locations were correlated with attendance at community sensitization meetings held in advance of bio-behavioral research activities. Information conveyed during meetings could have reached a broader portion of the population through attendees' social network and household connections. To ensure broader input and potentially increase participation in health-related research studies, the dissemination of research-related information through community sensitization meetings may need to target members of underrepresented groups.

中文翻译：

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参与生物行为研究之前举行的社区参与会议的相关性：乌干达农村的纵向、以社会为中心的社交网络研究。

背景 社区参与对于健康相关研究的进行至关重要，作为确定优先事项、通知研究设计和实施、增加招募和保留、建立关系以及确保研究满足社区目标的一种方式。社区宣传会议是社区参与的一种形式，通常在研究开始之前举行，以提供有关即将开展的研究活动的信息，并与潜在参与者协商解决问题。这项研究估计了在乌干达农村进行的全人口、行为和生物医学研究之前举行的社区宣传会议的人口、健康、经济和社会网络的相关性。方法和结果 研究助理从 1、630 名成年人参与了在乌干达西南部农村地区进行的以社会为中心的社交网络队列研究。这些在 2016 年至 2018 年期间收集的社区调查数据与 2018 年和 2019 年在随后的社区调查和社区健康博览会之前举行的社区宣传会议的出席记录相关联。在所有参与者中，264 人 (16%) 在社区调查之前参加了社区宣传会议，464 人 (28%) 在社区健康博览会之前参加了会议，558 人 (34%) 在学习活动（调查或健康博览会）之前参加了会议) 和 170 (10%) 参加了两项研究活动（调查和健康博览会）之前的会议。使用多变量泊松回归模型，我们估计了参加社区宣传会议的相关性。女性（调整后的相对风险 [ARR] 健康公平 = 1.71，95% 置信区间 [CI]，1.32 至 2.21，p < 0.001）、年龄较大（ARRsurvey = 1.02 每年，95% CI，1.01 到 1.02，p < 0.001；ARRhealth fair = 1.02 每年，95% CI，1.01 到 1.02，p < 0.001），已婚（ARRsurvey = 1.74，95% CI，1.29 到 2.35，p < 0.001） = 1.41, 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.76, p = 0.002)，以及更多社区团体的成员（ARRsurvey = 1.26 per group, 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.44, p = 0.001; ARRhealth fair = 1.25% per group, CI，1.12 至 1.43，p < 0.001）。住在离会议地点较远的研究参与者中出席的可能性较小（ARRsurvey = 0.54/km，95% CI，0.30 至 0.97，p = 0.041；ARRhealth fair = 0.57/km，95% CI，0.38 至 0.86，p = 0.000 ）。利用该队列的社会中心设计，社交网络分析表明，在社区宣传会议期间传达的信息可以通过与会者的社交网络和家庭关系接触到更广泛的潜在研究参与者。研究局限性包括缺乏关于参加/不参加社区宣传会议原因的详细数据；获得具有代表性的社区成员样本并不是该研究的明确目标；并且普遍性可能不会超出这个研究环境。结论 在乌干达农村地区进行的这项以社会为中心的纵向社交网络研究中，我们观察到年龄较大、女性、已婚、加入更多社区团体、会议地点的地理邻近性与参加在生物行为研究活动之前举行的社区宣传会议有关。会议期间传达的信息可以通过与会者的社交网络和家庭关系到达更广泛的人群。为了确保更广泛的投入并可能增加对健康相关研究的参与，可能需要通过社区宣传会议传播与研究相关的信息，以针对代表性不足的群体的成员。