Insights from an invited expert panel using a World Café: Establishing a national human biomonitoring programme communication strategy

Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a pivotal tool for assessing chemical exposures and guiding regulatory decisions to safeguard public and environmental health, particularly within the framework of the European Union's Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability and other EU policies for chemical safety. While many national HBM programmes include communication components, there is limited literature on how these strategies are systematically operationalised, evaluated, and scaled, or how participatory engagement, risk communication, and policy-oriented dissemination can be adapted to specific national contexts. This study addresses this gap by employing qualitative thematic analysis to identify context-specific communication solutions in HBM, using a World Café approach to facilitate stakeholder consultation and engagement and to identify key considerations for developing a national communication strategy. A World Café was conducted at University College Dublin (11th October 2024) to co-design Ireland's HBM communication strategy, engaging 25 stakeholders from government, industry, and research in facilitated discussions focused on "Communication and Engagement." Thematic analysis of the discussion transcripts, validated through critical friend review, revealed three actionable strategies. (1) Translating HBM research into the public consciousness using a tailored communication strategy, (2) a comprehensive public awareness campaign on education of what HBM is and is not, while building transparency and trust, and (3) using existing educational resources in an Irish context to develop a strategy for public consultation on what are the public's perceptions and priorities. Stakeholders highlighted the need for clear, culturally sensitive communication, the engagement of communication specialists, and the use of trusted community influencers to bridge scientific findings and public understanding. The World Café's participatory format proved effective in capturing diverse stakeholder perspectives, offering a replicable model for other countries developing national HBM programmes. These findings emphasise the importance of proactive, inclusive, and context-specific communication strategies to enhance public engagement, build trust, and support evidence-informed policy.