Using Qualitative Research in Community Engagement to Capture and Mitigate Vulnerability Mechanisms in the Face of Infectious Diseases: Insights From a Research-Based Program in Five European Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Various frameworks have been proposed for carrying out community engagement (CE) in the context of infectious disease response, but few have done so through a lens of vulnerability and even fewer, if any, have compared cases across countries. This paper reflects on the implementation of a project based on social science research and CE to capture and mitigate vulnerability mechanisms, which was carried out in France, Germany, Italy, Malta, and Slovenia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using qualitative data collected through interviews, a focus group discussion, and project meetings, we describe how a stepwise CE process was carried out in the context of an international, multi-sectoral project. As such, this paper sheds light on the applicability of the methodology, the strategies followed, and overlapping themes encountered during the CE implementation. In all five countries, researchers created overviews of multiple vulnerability case descriptions situated in communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several recurring themes played a role in the CE process in the different settings: the challenges of finding, defining, and working with(in) communities; the role and position of researchers "in action"; stakeholders and power dynamics; timing of stakeholder involvement; translating qualitative data on vulnerability mechanisms into practical solutions; and sustainability and institutional integration. It is important to consider these themes when planning future initiatives to apply social and behavioral science methods to address and mitigate vulnerabilities in communities confronted with pandemics or other crisis contexts.