Motivations and expectations driving community participation in entomological research projects: Target Malaria as a case study in Bana, Western Burkina Faso

• Published in: Malaria Journal
• Main Authors: Nourou Barry, Patrice Toé, Lea Pare Toe, Javier Lezaun, Mouhamed Drabo, Roch K. Dabiré, Abdoulaye Diabate
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2020
• Subjects: Public engagement; Entomological research activities; Malaria; Target Malaria; Burkina Faso; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Infectious and parasitic diseases; RC109-216; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-020-03277-7; https://doaj.org/article/9f5728ac54264c7da097cbf0169b9e1b

Abstract Background Most field entomology research projects require active participation by local community members. Since 2012, Target Malaria, a not-for-profit research consortium, has been working with residents in the village of Bana, in Western Burkina Faso, in various studies involving mosquito collections, releases and recaptures. The long-term goal of this work is to develop innovative solutions to combat malaria in Africa with the help of mosquito modification technologies. Since the start of the project, Bana residents have played an important role in research activities, yet the motivations and expectations that drive their participation remain under-investigated. This study examines the factors that motivate some members of the local community to contribute to the implementation of Target Malaria’s activities, and, more broadly, explores the reasons that animate citizen participation in entomological research work in malaria-endemic regions. Methods A qualitative approach was used to survey the factors motivating members of the local community to assist in the implementation of Target Malaria’s entomological research activities in Bana. Eighty-five individual in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted, followed by three focus groups, one with youths who had participated in mosquito collections, and two with adult men and women from the village. All data collected were fully transcribed, processed, and subjected to thematic content analysis. Results Data showed that the willingness of local community members to participate in entomological research activities was informed by a wide range of motivational factors. Although interviewees expressed their motivations under different semantic registers, the data showed a degree of consistency around five categories of motivation: (a) enhance domestic protection from mosquitoes and malaria, (b) contribute to a future world free of the disease, (c) acquire knowledge and skills, (d) earn financial compensation, and (e) gain social prestige for the ...