Toward a public outreach and community engagement strategy on cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador: an initial road map and recommendations

Abstract Background: The province of Newfoundland and Labrador has one of the highest incidence and mortality rates for cancer among the Canadian provinces. Sharing accessible knowledge on cancer is an important part of cancer control and population health efforts. However, bringing useful health information and knowledge exchange events to residents requires an efficient and accessible system. Objectives: We aimed to create a road map and recommendations for effective public outreach and community engagement on cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods: We used the following information, experience, or public engagement tools to gather information to inform our work: discussions with the members of the Public Interest Group on Cancer Research, researchers' experiences with recruitment and knowledge translation activities, feedback provided to 2 public conferences delivered (Public Conference on Genetics delivered in 2020 and Public Conference on Cancer delivered in 2022—where the target audience was general public), and 2 public town halls (one in-person, one virtual) and 2 individual consultation sessions with key stakeholders. Information gathered was then summarized. Results: We identified a rich set of cancer-related topics for which to organize public events on cancer. In addition, a large number of public outreach and engagement options were identified, emphasizing the fragmented, inefficient, and resource-intensive nature of public outreach and community engagement efforts in the province. Based on the information collected, we developed an initial road map and recommendations to inform future public engagement activities and strategies. In addition, our group has started to implement the road map for our current and future public engagement activities. Conclusions: We present key cancer-related topics that are of public interest and issues and opportunities for recruitment and delivery of knowledge and events to residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. This information can be useful for researchers, organizations, and the health care system in the province. However, more inclusive consultations, larger collaborations, funding, and systematic data collection are needed to build a province-wide public outreach network on cancer and to identify more comprehensive public engagement options. The work presented here can potentially guide these efforts. Our work is also expected to inspire other provinces, states, and communities to assess their public outreach status and help develop road maps co-led by patients to progress their public engagement efforts in cancer.