Engaging Equity-Deserving Populations in Co-Creation
| dc.contributor.advisor | Sim, Amanda | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ali, Alshaymaa | |
| dc.contributor.department | Global Health | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-10-07T14:22:25Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-10-07T14:22:25Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Refugee families in Canada experience significant mental health challenges and face heightened barriers to accessing mental healthcare services, yet their voices remain underrepresented in the design of those services. A co-creation approach offers a way to meaningfully engage those equity-deserving populations by centering their experiences and perspectives. However, limited research has specifically examined how to engage refugee families in co-creation processes. This study aimed to review the literature on engaging equity-deserving groups in co-creation and to develop a tailored engagement strategy as part of the Thriving Together co-design project. Methods: A two-phase approach was used. Phase one involved a structured narrative review guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework. Three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were searched, along with grey literature and citation searches. A total of 45 studies were included in the review, and findings were charted across definitions, guiding principles, theoretical frameworks, phases of co-creation, engagement methods, barriers, and enablers. Phase two synthesized these findings with field insights from the Thriving Together project to inform a context-specific engagement strategy. Results: The included studies, primarily from high-income countries, focused on equity-deserving populations and revealed inconsistent terminology but recurring emphasis on key engagement principles, such as trust, power-sharing, and flexibility. Common phases of co-creation included preparation, discovery, ideation, and implementation, with frequent use of creative methods like storytelling and visual tools. Reported barriers included power imbalances and logistical challenges. These findings and the practical insights informed the engagement strategy, which is conceptualized as a journey, guided by principles, structured around clear phases, supported by practical tools, and designed to proactively address barriers and promote meaningful participation. Conclusion: More research is needed to advance co-creation with refugee populations. Achieving equitable and impactful engagement relies on operationalizing guiding values such as reflexivity, adaptability, and authentic partnership with the communities involved. | en_US |
| dc.description.degree | Master of Health Sciences (MSc) | en_US |
| dc.description.degreetype | Thesis | en_US |
| dc.description.layabstract | Refugee families in Canada often face mental health challenges and have difficulty getting the help they need. Despite this, their voices are rarely included in how mental health services are designed. One way to change this is through co-creation, a method that brings people with lived experience together with service providers and researchers to design solutions that work better for everyone. This study looked at how co-creation can be done in ways that truly include people from equity-deserving groups, like refugee families. This is achieved by reviewing existing research and learning from the Thriving Together project, where refugees help co-design mental health supports. I found that successful co-creation needs to be flexible and respectful of different cultures and experiences. Key values like inclusion, shared benefits, and cultural respect were essential for meaningful engagement with refugee families. These values must be turned into real actions, like good communication and building strong relationships. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/32489 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
| dc.subject | Equity-deserving groups | en_US |
| dc.subject | Engagement | en_US |
| dc.subject | Co-creation | en_US |
| dc.subject | Refugee | en_US |
| dc.title | Engaging Equity-Deserving Populations in Co-Creation | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |