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Journal article

Identifying evidence of the effectiveness of photovoice: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the international healthcare literature

Abstract:

Background: Photovoice (PV) was conceptualized in the early 1990s to engage community members in capturing/communicating their lived experience narratives through photography. However, no meta-analyses in health research have assessed whether PV achieves its purported effects.

Methods: We carried forward any relevant references from a previous review identifying PV studies before 2008 and searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 2008 up until October 2019. We included both published and grey literature, in any population or context. We assessed quality with the Effective Public Health Practice Project’s (EPHPP) tool and pooled studies using the standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: Twenty-eight studies were included, showing significant post-treatment effects only for health knowledge (SMD, 95% CIs = 0.41, 0.09 to 0.73, n = 16) and community functions (SMD, 95% CIs = 0.22, 0.03 to 0.40, n = 4). Strong heterogeneity was indicated for health knowledge, potentially explained by a larger effect in ethnic minority populations. There was insufficient follow-up data for health knowledge, while in follow-up for community functions the post-treatment effect was lost.

Conclusions: PV’s post-treatment effect on health knowledge did not translate into positive health behaviours or physical and mental health outcomes, longer-term community functions, or health service outcomes.

Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Files:
Publisher copy:
10.1093/pubmed/fdab074

Authors


More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Department:
Experimental Psychology
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Role:
Author
More by this author
Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
MSD
Sub department:
Psychiatry
Role:
Author
ORCID:
0000-0002-9205-2144


Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Journal:
Journal of Public Health More from this journal
Volume:
44
Issue:
3
Pages:
704–712
Place of publication:
England
Publication date:
2021-04-05
Acceptance date:
2021-02-25
DOI:
EISSN:
1741-3850
ISSN:
1741-3842
Pmid:
33823022


Language:
English
Keywords:
Pubs id:
1171154
Local pid:
pubs:1171154
Deposit date:
2021-07-15

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