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Paper short abstract:

Set within the context of North West Pakistan, this paper explores and evaluates the potential of utilising local, community-based Jirgas – a cultural institution composed of all men – for community engagement in research to develop nutrition interventions that address the Right to Food and nutrition security, and improve maternal, neonatal and child health outcomes.

Paper long abstract:

Various models of community engagement exist in public health, and the need for effective strategies is widely recognised; however community engagement in research in developing countries which capitalises on existing and culturally embedded mechanisms has not been widely explored. The aim of the study is to undertake ethnographic research in rural North West Pakistan to explore and evaluate the potential of utilising local, community-based Jirgas - a cultural institution composed of all men - for community engagement in research to develop nutrition interventions that address the Right to Food and nutrition security, and improve maternal, neonatal and child health outcomes. The three research objectives involve: exploring how the Jirga works through observation and informal conversations; looking at how the Jirga model works in engaging local communities in public health research through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews; and evaluating the use of the Jirga to shape the research agenda locally, engaging the community in research activities through suggesting possible intervention strategies to improve community health and wellbeing, and implementing and evaluating an intervention utilising 'context, mechanism, outcome' (CMO) methodology. With Jirga representation based on alliances, lineage, patronage and/or cultural value orientations, initial findings highlight the need for context-specific understandings of gender inequality, gender relations, power relations, decision-making, autonomy and agency. Hence, establishing the social reality of women and men's everyday lives in this patriarchal society is crucial for effective community engagement in research to address food insecurity and facilitate participatory planning of interventions directed to the Right to Food.