A vision for progress in community health partnerships (original) (raw)

2007, Progress in community …

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an increasingly used approach for conducting research to improve community health. Using Rogers' diffusion of innovations theory as a framework, it follows that future adoption of CBPR will occur if academic and community partners perceive CBPR to have greater relative advantage, compatibility, trialability, and observability, and less complexity than other research approaches. We propose that articles published in our new peer-reviewed journal-Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Edu cation, and Action (PCHP)-can influence academic and community partners' perceptions of CBPR that promote its adoption. Eight areas of scholarly activity are described that can promote health partnership research, education, and action: (1) original research, (2) work-in-progress and lessons learned, (3) policy and practice, (4) theory and Growth in CBPr in north AmeriCA The past two decades have seen rapid growth in the amount of CBPR conducted in North America. Many researchers, practitioners, and communities-heartened by the involvement of stakeholders in the research process and the potential to address important health concerns that "traditional" academic-driven approaches to research have not solved-have begun to use CBPR. In 2001, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, on recommendation from several federal agencies and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, commissioned a systematic review of the peerreviewed literature on CBPR in English-speaking North America, and its role in improving community health. 2 The resulting evidence report 3 summarized the literature on C ommunity-based participatory research (CBPR) is an overarching term used to characterize approaches to biomedical, behavioral, and public health research that incorporates interrelated components of participation, research, and action. Isreal et al.'s definition of CBPR highlights these components: "a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves, for example, community members, organizational representatives, and researchers in all aspects of the research process. The partners contribute unique strengths and shared responsibilities to enhance understanding of a given phenomenon and the social and cultural dynamics of the community, and integrate the knowledge gained with action to improve the health and well-being of community members." 1 methods, (5) education and training, (6) practical tools, (7) systematic reviews, and (8) community perspectives. These eight areas correspond with the eight main sections of PCHP. A brief description of each area's importance in promoting CBPR is provided along with examples of completed and ongoing work. Specific recommendations are made regarding issues, problems, and topics within each area on which CBPR work should focus. These recommendations, which present a vision for progress in community health partnerships, are based on idea generation and prioritization by a group of CBPR experts-PCHP's editors and editorial board.