Evidence Library

image_pdfimage_print

Title: Using community-based participatory research to address social determinants of health: Lessons learned from Seattle Partners for Healthy Communities.
Author: Krieger, J., Allen, C., Cheadle, A., Ciske, S., Schier, J., Senturia, K. & Sullivan, M.
Date Published: 2002
Reference: Health Education & Behaviour, 29(3), 361-382.
Are service users or carers authors: No/Not Known

Abstract:

This article describes three projects from the Seattle Partners for Healthy Communities Research Centre that used participatory approaches. Two demonstrate the impact of involving community members:

(1) Healthy Homes project (a randomised controlled trial of an outreach programme to reduce the incidence of asthma): Community members first identified the topic and then as members of a parent advisory group helped shape the project to:

  • increase its benefit to the community, respect community values and avoid doing harm
  • ensure the research was sensitive to the issues faced by local tenants
  • address the general problem of mistrust of research/ government when recruiting participants 
  • ensure the questionnaires were culturally appropriate and relevant.

Community members were hired as outreach workers. The participants reported that working with local people gave them confidence in the project. The individual community researchers benefited directly from learning new skills. They have also gone onto to assist other organisations with asthma education and community work.

A problem arose at the beginning because community members would not accept that a control group would receive less interventions than the experimental group. This led to a change in the protocol. At later stages, people realised that the trial was less convincing because it did not have the usual-care control group. Funding was sought for a Phase II of the project to carry out this comparison.

(2) Study of ethnic and sexual minority women's experience of domestic violence, satisfaction with services and service needs: Representatives from community agencies serving the different groups joined the research team. They helped with all stages of research. Their involvement proved crucial to recruiting women to discuss such a sensitive topic. They also ensured the safety of participants in ways that the researchers would not have considered. Community advocates helped with facilitation and interviews. They also brought expertise and experience to the analysis of data that the researchers lacked. Their involvement also gave credibility to the project encouraging women to take part.  

In summary participatory approaches have:

  • increased community acceptance and participation in research
  • improved data collection and interpretation
  • improved implementation of changes and their cultural relevance
  • enhanced the capacity of community based organisations
  • increased the benefits received by community members.

External link: The following links will take you to information on this entry on an external website. INVOLVE is not responsible for the content or the reliability of the external websites. Link to abstract

Related entry: none currently available

Categories: public health
Identifying topics, prioritising and commissioning
Designing research
Managing research
Undertaking research
Analysing and interpreting
Writing up and disseminating
impact on funding/commissioning
impact on research
impact on service users involved
impact on implementation and change
impact of public involvement
journal article
Recruitment
Implementation and change

Date Entered: 2009/01/27

Date Edited: 2012/11/20

Additional Info: