Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) A Non-Traditional Research Method

Today, I’d like to discuss… CBPR Rationale Definition Underlying principals Challenges & Benefits Application to a study “Statewide Assessment of Sexuality Education in Florida’s Public Schools”

How are academic researchers perceived?

Rational for conducting research differently… Increasing research evidence that: Poor health outcomes are associated with social & physical environment stressors Skills, strengths & resources exist within communities & among members that can address stressors

Rational for conducting research differently… Historically, communities involved in research have: Rarely directly benefited from research findings At times, been harmed by research process & dissemination of findings Often been denied influence over the research process

Rational for conducting research differently… This has resulted in: Distrust of, & reluctance to participate in research Interventions that are not as effective as possible Calls for more comprehensive & participatory approaches to research & practice

Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Research that takes a partnership approach All partners: Participate in each aspect of research process Contribute their own expertise Share responsibility & ownership Goal: Enhance understanding & capacity to address priority issues Apply new understanding & capacity to develop & implement interventions tailored to community context & needs Israel, Schulz, Parker, & Becker, 1998

Community-Based vs. Community-Placed

Participation Can be health-enhancing in & of itself* Basic tenet of empowerment Improves quality of intervention design & implementation Requires professional/researcher to give up some control *Eng, et al.

Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation 7) Delegated Power 6) Partnership Degrees of Citizen Power 5) Placation 4) Consultation Degrees of Tokenism 3) Informing 2) Therapy 1) Manipulation Non-participation Arnstein, SR (1969) AIP Journal, 216-224

Principles of CBPR Recognizes community as unit of identity Begins with & builds on community’s strengths/resources Facilitates collaborative, equitable partnership in all phases of research Promotes co-learning & capacity building among partners Integrates & creates a balance between knowledge generation & action for mutual benefit of all partners Schulz, et al., 1998

Principles of CBPR Emphasizes & addresses community priorities – at multiple socio-ecological levels Involves systems development through a cyclical & iterative process Involves a long-term process & commitment Disseminates findings to & by all partners & community Schulz, et al., 1998

Challenges of using a CBPR approach Very time consuming - for all partners Trust among partners is fragile Who to include in partnership – to ensure representation? Including partners in all ‘day-to-day’ decision making Dissemination of findings in timely, useful way Risk of ‘taking a stand’ for social change Israel, et al., 1998; Lopez, 2005

Benefits of using a CBPR approach: Contributions to communities & science Enhances relevance & use of data Enhances intervention design & implementation Increases quality & validity of research/findings Has potential to translate research findings to guide development of further interventions & policy change Israel, et al., 1998

Benefits of using a CBPR approach: Contributions to communities & science Provides resources for communities involved Joins partners with diverse expertise Increases trust & bridges cultural gaps among partners Interventions, & knowledge gained directly benefit the community Israel, et al., 1998