Weaving community-based participatory research and co-design to improve opioid use treatments and services for youth, caregivers, and service providers

Integrating the voices of service users and providers in the design and delivery of health services increases the acceptability, relevance, and effectiveness of services. Such efforts are particularly important for youth opioid use treatments and services, which have failed to consider the unique needs of youth and families. Applying community-based participatory research (CBPR) and co-design can facilitate this process by contextualizing service user experiences at individual and community levels and supporting the collaborative design of innovative solutions for improving care. However, few studies demonstrate how to effectively integrate these methods and engage underserved populations in co-design. As such, this manuscript describes how our team wove CBPR and co-design methods to develop solutions for improving youth opioid use treatments and services in Canada. As per CBPR methods, national, provincial, and community partnerships were established to inform and support the project's activities. These partnerships were integral for recruiting service users (i.e., youth and caregivers) and service providers to co-design prototypes and support local testing and implementation. Co-design methods enabled understanding of the needs and experiences of youth, caregivers, and service providers, resulting in meaningful community-specific innovations. We used several engagement methods during the co-design process, including regular working group meetings, small group discussions, individual interviews and consultations, and feedback grids. Challenges involved the time commitment and resources needed for co-design, which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and limited our ability to engage a diverse sample of youth and caregivers in the process. Strengths of the study included youth and caregiver involvement in the co-design process, which centered around their lived experiences; the therapeutic aspect of the process for participants; and the development of innovations that were accepted by design partners.

A CBPR-Enhanced Delphi Method: The Measurement Approaches to Partnership Success Case Study

As part of a 5-year study to develop and validate an instrument for measuring success in long-standing community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships, we utilized the Delphi method with a panel of 16 community and academic CBPR experts to assess face and content validity of the instrument's broad concepts of success and measurement items. In addition to incorporating quantitative and qualitative feedback from two online surveys, we included a 2-day face-to-face meeting with the Expert Panel to invite open discussion and diversity of opinion in line with the CBPR principles framing and guiding the study. The face-to-face meeting allowed experts to review the survey data (with maintained anonymity), convey their perspectives, and offer interpretations that were untapped in the online surveys. Using a CBPR approach facilitated a synergistic process that moved above and beyond the consensus achieved in the initial Delphi rounds, to enhance the Delphi technique and the development of items in the instrument.

Validation of the Measurement Approaches to Partnership Success (MAPS) Questionnaire

Conceptualizing and testing factors that contribute to the success of community-academic partnerships are critical to understanding their contributions to the health and well-being of communities. Most measures to date focus on factors that contribute to the development of new partnerships, and only a few have been adequately tested and validated. Methods. The Measurement Approaches to Partnership Success (MAPS) study followed a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach and a multiphase process that included the construction and pilot testing of a questionnaire, and a national survey to validate the psychometric properties of the questionnaire in long-standing CBPR partnerships (existing ≥ six years). All members within partnerships were recruited to complete the survey (55 partnerships with 563 partners). We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), Cronbach's alpha statistics, and a pairwise correlations approach to assess discriminant and convergent validity, and assessed internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. Results. All MAPS Questionnaire dimensions demonstrated strong validity and reliability and demonstrated agreement over time. Conclusion. The MAPS Questionnaire includes seven dimensions and 81 items related to the MAPS conceptual model and provides a scientific, in-depth measurement tool that allows long-standing CBPR partnerships to evaluate their work toward achieving health equity.

Co-designing community-level integral interventions for active ageing: a systematic review from the lens of community-based participatory research

BACKGROUND

While community-level interventions for promoting active ageing have received increasing attention and there is a trend to leverage technology to support traditional physical or social interventions, little hands-on guidance exists for designing these integral interventions. This study aimed to examine the interventions reported in the literature guided by Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles. The goal is to extract insights that inform future practices in co-designing integral interventions for active ageing.

METHODS

The systematic review focused on community-level interventions promoting active ageing that integrated physical, social, and digital elements, i.e., integral interventions. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. The included interventions were analysed abductively based on the CBPR principles.

RESULTS

A total of 13 studies were included, and 24 design considerations were generated under eight categories. Further reflection identified the interrelated nature of these design considerations and pinpointed the gaps in current research. This study highlights the urgency and importance of sharing recruitment methods and resource allocation details, recording and reporting collaboration specifics, and disseminating findings to stakeholders beyond academia.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers valuable insights and practical guidance to researchers and practitioners developing community-level integral interventions for active ageing. The findings also serve as a starting point for accumulating knowledge and practice in co-designing integral interventions for active ageing at the community level. The next crucial phase involves evaluating these design considerations within real-world cases to assess their applicability and identify potential areas for improvement.

The power of community-based participatory research (CBPR)

OBJECTIVE

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is based on power as fundamental to doing research. It evolved as a way of "knowing" from the broader idea of natural science. While previously viewed as objective, natural science is now understood as, at least, partially socially constructed.

METHOD

History of research and epistemology is reviewed in terms of science. More specifically, we delve into science as social construction and how this conceptually opens the door to considering power in its processes. We then unpack CBPR as one way to do mental health research that artfully weaves power into method.

RESULTS

Natural science has evolved from believing scientism (i.e., the scientific method) is sufficient to describe physical and social phenomena to terms of social constructivism; namely, the social processes that impact investigators are necessary to understand science and its product. This highlights the role of power; namely, investigator choices about hypotheses, methods, analyses, and interpretations influence the products of individual studies. The recovery movement is the embodiment of power that significantly changed research and rehabilitation in mental health. CBPR has emerged to include people with lived experience in the research enterprise. CBPR is partnership among people with lived experience, health scientists, and service providers in all facets of doing research.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Integrating CBPR into rehabilitation science has led to findings and actions that better serve community objectives. Continuing to weave CBPR into research and development will further enhance recovery in practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Training Community Leaders to Serve as Equal Partners in Research: Penn Community Scholars Program, 2015-2023

An implementation and effectiveness evaluation of the Community Scholars Program was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania to enhance community capacity to collaborate with academics in mutually beneficial, equitable, and transformative research. Mixed methods were employed using administrative data, surveys, and key informant interviews. Participants expressed high satisfaction, valued interactive learning, and identified areas for improvement. The program increased knowledge and self-confidence in research-related skills and trust in the research process. The program serves as an institutional model to create long-term, mutually beneficial community-academic partnerships. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(3):284-288. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307549).

The utility of community-based participatory research: Increasing research engagement among minoritized ethnoracial groups

OBJECTIVE

This article conceptually examined the need for and utility of community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches for increasing rates of engagement in psychological research among underserved minoritized ethnoracial groups.

METHODS

This article examined the literature for relevant studies examining rates of research engagement by minoritized ethnoracial groups, significant factors precluding research engagement, and the consequences of this disparity for mental health outcomes. The theoretical literature outlining the development and utility of alternative, community-based participatory research methods was included. Key features of CBPR were examined along with limitations of current approaches. A case study example of CBPR is provided.

RESULTS

The use of CBPR approaches has been documented to improve health outcomes, reduce stigma toward mental health research and treatment, and build the professional capacity of community partners, particularly among minoritized ethnoracial groups.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

CBPR engagement practices are a means of reducing the mental health research gap for ethnic and racial minoritized groups. The use of such approaches in future research and practice will directly inform how existing psychological treatments may be modified per the needs of the patient, address long standing issues of cultural mistrust toward professional institutions, and reduce mental health stigma in underserved communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A systematic review of community-based participatory research studies involving individuals with mental illness

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review examined community-based participatory research (CBPR) studies in which people with mental illness (PWMI) directly contributed to research projects. The purpose was to describe study characteristics, team structure and logistics, and level of involvement of in the research process.

METHOD

We searched the PsycINFO database from January 2000 to July 2020, identifying 1,395 records and analyzing the 31 that met inclusion criteria. Articles were eligible if they were (a) published in English in a peer-reviewed journal; (b) explicitly stated that at least one adult with mental illness assisted with the study as a CBPR team member; and (c) included a research outcome.

RESULTS

Most studies collected qualitative data. Project length, team composition, and frequency of meetings were not specified in about one third of the articles. Twenty-nine studies reported involvement of people with mental illness in research activities such as recruitment, data collection, transcription, and analysis. Nearly half did not specify if they received any training.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Individuals with mental illness were heavily involved in planning and conducting research, demonstrating the feasibility of meaningful involvement. Future research should consider how people with lived experience can assist with quantitative methods, and articles should clearly and explicitly describe characteristics of the partnership (e.g., team composition, frequency of meetings, compensation). The protocol is published in Open Science registry at https://osf.io/mshfb. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Negotiating access to community-based participatory research

PURPOSE

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) that improves social capital can be a powerful tool for promoting mental health and well-being. This work explores what gaining, maintaining, and losing access to this type of CBPR looks like from a reflexive research perspective.

METHOD

I describe and reflect on my experiences conducting a mixed-methods study of an existing CBPR to increase social capital in Switzerland. I draw on ethnographic observations, field notes, and reflexive memos collected during fieldwork between 2016 and 2020.

RESULTS

I negotiated access to the CBPR across three levels: (1) formal organizational with intervention leaders, (2) implementational with facilitators, and (3) the community/group level with participants. Intervention leaders let me conduct research if they benefitted from my work in a timely and reinforcing way, facilitators granted access if I made myself helpful and supported their work, and community members accepted me if I participated in their community meaningfully. I lost access when my findings posed a potential risk to the intervention funding.

CONCLUSION

I highlight how access is a fluid and complex process that can change throughout CBPR. I show the importance of reflexive analysis to understand how access is negotiated in diverse settings, what sources of social capital are needed to engage in these negotiations, and how positionality and power play a role in this process.

The Báa nnilah Program: Results of a Chronic-Illness Self-Management Cluster Randomized Trial with the Apsáalooke Nation

Indigenous people in Montana are disproportionately affected by chronic illness (CI), a legacy of settler colonialism. Existing programs addressing CI self-management are not appropriate because they are not consonant with Indigenous cultures in general and the Apsáalooke culture specifically. A research partnership between the Apsáalooke (Crow Nation) non-profit organization Messengers for Health and Montana State University co-developed, implemented, and evaluated a CI self-management program for community members. This article examines qualitative and quantitative program impacts using a pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial design with intervention and waitlist control arms. The quantitative and qualitative data resulted in different stories on the impact of the Báa nnilah program. Neither of the quantitative hypotheses were supported with one exception. The qualitative data showed substantial positive outcomes across multiple areas. We examine why the data sets led to two very different stories, and provide study strengths and limitations, recommendations, and future directions.

Cultivating Relationships as a Community-Based Recruitment Strategy in Transdisciplinary Aging Research: Lessons From an Academic-Community Partnership

Participation of Black American older adults in community-engaged research remains challenging in health sciences. The objectives of this study were to describe the specific efforts, successes, and challenges in recruiting Black American older adults in research led by the Health and Wellness in Aging Across the Lifespan core, part of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry, and Innovation (iCubed). We conducted a cross-case analysis of 6 community-engaged research projects using the community-engaged research continuum model. Successful recruitment strategies comprised a multifaceted approach to community-based collaboration, including a wellness program with a long standing relationship with the community, engaging key stakeholders and a community advisory board, and building a community-based coalition of stakeholders. Posting flyers and modest monetary compensation remain standard recruitment strategies. The cross-case analysis offered critical lessons on the community's nature and level of engagement in research. Relationship building based on trust and respect is essential to solving complex aging issues in the community.

A Community-Based Participatory Approach in Applying the Sociocultural Resilience Model in U.S-Mexico Border Communities

BACKGROUND

Behavioral models play a key role in identifying pathways to better health and provide a foundation for health promotion interventions. However, behavioral models based in epidemiological research may be limited in relevance and utility in practice.

OBJECTIVES

We describe a participatory approach within a community-based participatory research partnership for integrating epidemiological and community perspectives into the application of the sociocultural resilience model (SRM). The SRM posits that cultural processes have a symbiotic relationship with health-promoting social processes, which contribute to the health advantages among Mexicanorigin and other Latinx populations.

METHODS

Community action board members engaged with academic partners to interpret and apply the SRM to a community-clinical linkages intervention implemented in the context of three U.S.-Mexico border communities. In a two-day workshop, partners engaged in a series of iterative discussions to reach common definitions and measures for SRM constructs.

RESULTS

Partners described daily cultural processes as the food they eat, how they communicate, and a collectivist approach to getting things done. For intervention activities, the partners opted for intergenerational storytelling, sharing of food, and artistic forms of expression. Partners included measures of cultural nuances such as border identity and the complexities that often arise from navigating bicultural norms.

CONCLUSIONS

Collaborative approaches within community-based participatory research partnerships can facilitate the adaptation and measurement of conceptual health behavior models in community practice.

How Can We Find Out What Indigenous Children and Their Families Need to Manage Weight? Lessons from Formative Nutrition Intervention Research with First Australians

In Australia, Indigenous children have rates of overweight and obesity 1.5 times those of non-Indigenous children. Culturally safe and effective nutrition interventions are needed for this group. This paper aims to describe a Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) approach to designing formative nutrition intervention research with First Australian children and their families and to reflect on the challenges arising from this process. After obtaining ethical approvals, a Steering Committee (SC), including nine Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experienced in delivering or receiving health care, was established as a project governance body to develop culturally safe project materials and methods. The Indigenous research method of yarning circles was chosen by the SC for the community consultation, and the First Australian SC members were trained to collect the data. They liaised with community organizations to recruit yarning circle participants. Individual interviews conducted by an Aboriginal research assistant replaced yarning circles due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. While the CPAR approach to formative research was successful, the pandemic and other factors tripled the study duration. To authentically, ethically and safely engage First Australians in research, researchers need to decolonize their methodological approach, and funding bodies need to allow adequate time and resources for the process.

A practical method for integrating community priorities in planning and implementing cancer control programs

PURPOSE

Community engagement is essential in effective public health programs. This paper illustrates the methods used to engage community in the development of a multi-level implementation intervention to address cancer disparities related to hereditary cancer syndromes.

METHODS

Implementation Mapping (IM), was used to guide the co-creation of an intervention. Key partners were recruited to a 13-member statewide community advisory board (CAB) representing healthcare and community-based organizations. As part of a needs assessment, a 3-round modified Delphi method with the CAB was used to identify implementation outcomes to use in later steps of IM. An anonymous online survey of a validated community engagement measure assessed CAB members' satisfaction with the process.

RESULTS

Using a modified Delphi method as part of the needs assessment of IM, the CAB identified three broad categories of strategies: Changing infrastructure using patient navigation; training and educating patients, navigators and providers; and supporting clinicians in case identification and management. Self-reported satisfaction with the IM and Delphi process was high.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation Mapping facilitated the use of available evidence, new data, and community engagement to identify strategies to improve the delivery of programs to reduce hereditary cancer disparities. The modified Delphi method was easy to administer in a virtual environment and may be a useful for others in community-engaged research.

Cripping Collaboration: Science Fiction and the Access to Disability Worlds

Inclusive participatory approaches strive to make participants with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) co-researchers. However, academic standards of knowledge production and the need for cognitive skills can complicate collaboration. I argue that collaboration with people with disabilities is not about efforts of inclusion, but instead, it is our methodologies that need to be "cripped." This means moving away from the ideal of inclusion, toward a more interdependent and relational understanding of access and collaboration. This multimodal article shows how my "research subject" Olof and I explored this way of working together by describing the coproduction of the science-fiction film "O."

Braiding the Healing Gifts of Photovoice for Social Change: The Means Are Ends in the Making

Photovoice is an important participatory action method for motivating social change. The potential for this change within the processes of the method remains under-explored. We present the voice and perspectives of three health promotion practitioners who have important connections to photovoice: a grandmother and co-founder of the method, a nurse from Wales, and an early adopter seeking change. Through braided storytelling, the voices describe their history with photovoice and how their relationship to the method has changed over time, arguing ultimately that in photovoice the means are as important as the ends for advancing relations with others, understanding and working with power, and realizing the gifts the processes bring.

Health and quality of life among women after participation in a CBPR-informed physical activity intervention: with a pandemic perspective

The lack of culturally and contextually oriented interventions promoting physical activity (PA) has led to increased physical inactivity among women living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Sweden. In this study one such intervention informed by community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been evaluated among 34 women from a disadvantaged neighbourhood before and during COVID-19. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), behavioural and biomedical outcomes were assessed directly prior and post-intervention, followed by evaluations at 6-months and 18-months follow-up during COVID-19. The results revealed that HRQOL, particularly psychological, social, and environmental health significantly increased post-intervention compared to prior to intervention but reversed back at 6-months follow-up. Perceived health satisfaction and environmental health increased at 18-months follow-up during COVID-19. Participation in PA improved post-intervention and at 6-months follow-up. Everyday activities and fruit and vegetable intake continued to increase through all timepoints. Systolic blood pressure significantly decreased post-intervention and 6-months follow-up; blood flow rate increased significantly at all timepoints. Overall, the findings underscores the potential effectiveness of CBPR approaches in promoting and sustaining healthy lifestyles, even during acute situations such as the COVID-19. It may even serve as a future model for promoting health and addressing health disparities in similar groups.

Lessons Learned From a Knowledge-Matching Participatory Research Approach Involving Law Students and Older Adults as Peer Researchers

The popularity of engaging community members as peer researchers is growing. The existing participatory research involving older adults appears to suffer from two main issues. First, older adults are rarely positioned as equitable research partners. Second, a paradox may exist between capacity building and an authentic lay perspective of older adults. This article adopted a knowledge-matching participatory approach to address these two issues. Seven older adults and four law students were trained as peer researchers to work with two academic researchers on a project about financial well-being in retirement. This article documented the research process and reflected the benefits, challenges, and best practices associated with this approach by analyzing transcripts from three reflective meetings, written reflections, and field notes from all peer and academic researchers using a thematic analysis approach. Results outline the experiences and reflections of using knowledge-matching participatory research for academic researchers and peer researchers, as well as for research processes and outcomes. The advantages of extending methodological amplitude, leveraging older adults' capacity, partnership matching, and empowerment are shown by the knowledge-matching participatory methodology. The establishment of capacity building, partnership development, and agenda flexibility are essential elements of success. We further discussed power disparity, partnership conflicts, and ethical dilemmas. Researchers and practitioners can utilize the findings, methodological approaches, and lessons learned in their studies aiming at engaging older adults in improving health and social well-being in later life.

A Black feminist youth participatory action research photovoice exploration of Black girls and college women

Utilizing a Black and Hip Hop feminist and Black girlhood studies theoretical lens, the purpose of this study is to explore how Black girls (14-17) and women (19-22), who are in a youth participatory action research (YPAR) mentoring program, BlackGirlsResearch (pseudonym) express their gendered racial identities and gendered racial experiences through their participation in a YPAR photovoice program. This study seeks to answer the following research question: (1) How do Black girls and college women conceptualize their gendered racial identities and gendered racial lived experiences in predominately white schools using a YPAR methodology and photovoice? Employing a qualitative thematic analysis to explore 36 photovoice narratives, results yielded 3 themes: (1) experiencing challenges at predominately white institutions (PWIs): false inclusivity, continued underrepresentation, and tokenism (2) identifying as "queens of culture": identity and empowerment through art, culture, and breaking conformity and (3) activism, inclusion, and accountability: solutions for PWIs. The results of this study indicate that Black girls and women can not only identify and critically discuss issues related to Black girls and women within PWIs, but through YPAR, they can push for positive youth development and community solutions related to those issues.

Navigating the Ethical and Methodological Dimensions of a Farm Safety Photovoice Project

Scholars have noted persistent high rates of agricultural health and safety incidents and the need to develop more effective interventions. Participatory research provides an avenue to broaden the prevailing research paradigms and approaches by allowing those most impacted to illuminate and work to solve those aspects of their lives. One such approach is photovoice, an emancipatory visual narrative approach. Yet, despite its broad appeal, photovoice can be hard to implement. In this article, we leverage our experience using photovoice for a farm children safety project to describe and reflect on the ethical and methodological aspects broadly relevant to agricultural health and safety topics. We first contextualize the tensions of navigating between photovoice, the research ethics committees (RECs) regulatory frameworks, and competing views on visual representations in agriculture. We then discuss the sources of risks to participants and researchers, how we addressed these risks, and how these risks unfolded during the research phase of the photovoice activity. We conclude with three lessons we (re)learned: the importance of collaborating with RECs, the need to increase preparation to limit psychological risks to participants and researchers, and avenues to augment the emancipatory power of photovoice in a virtual environment.

Community-based Participatory Research: A Practical Guide for Radiologists

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is defined by the Kellogg Community Health Scholars Program as a collaborative process that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each community member brings. The CBPR process begins with a research topic of importance to the community, with the goal of combining knowledge and action with social change to improve community health and eliminate health disparities. CBPR engages and empowers affected communities to collaborate in defining the research question; sharing the study design process; collecting, analyzing, and disseminating the data; and implementing solutions. A CBPR approach in radiology has several potential applications, including removing limitations to high-quality imaging, improving secondary prevention, identifying barriers to technology access, and increasing diversity in the research participation for clinical trials. The authors provide an overview with the definitions of CBPR, explain how to conduct CBPR, and illustrate its applications in radiology. Finally, the challenges of CBPR and useful resources are discussed in detail. ©RSNA, 2023 Quiz questions for this article are available in the supplemental material.

Exploring community engagement in place-based approaches in areas of poor health and disadvantage: A scoping review

A scoping review was conducted to explore the characteristics, barriers, and enablers of community engagement in place-based approaches to improving health outcomes in a designated area of poor health and disadvantage. The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews was used. Forty articles met the inclusion criteria of which 31 were conducted in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, or Australia, and 70% used qualitative methods. The health initiatives were delivered in multiple settings including neighbourhoods, towns, and regions and with a range of population groups including Indigenous and migrant communities. Trust, power, and cultural considerations were the most significant barriers and enablers to community participation in place-based approaches. Developing trust is key to success in community-led, place-based initiatives.

The Importance of Community Voice: Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Understand the Experiences of African American, Native American, and Latinx People During a Pandemic

INTRODUCTION

Although the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death rates on racial and ethnic minority communities in the US is known, information about how COVID-19 has affected these communities and how community context and perceptions can inform a better response to future health crises needs further exploration. To help achieve these objectives, we used a community-based participatory research approach to gain a better insight into African American, Native American, and Latinx communities.

METHODS

From September through December 2020, we conducted 19 focus groups and recruited 142 participants. Participants were selected via a purposeful sampling technique. We used a phenomenology study design to conduct semistructured interviews, thematic analysis to code qualitative data, and descriptive statistics to summarize demographic data.

RESULTS

Data analysis revealed the following 3 themes: 1) COVID-19 exacerbated mistrust, anxiety, and fear in racial and ethnic minority populations, affecting their mental health, 2) understanding sociocultural context is essential for emergency response, and 3) adapting communication strategies can help address community concerns.

CONCLUSION

Amplifying the voices of people disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can help to inform a better response to future health crises and ultimately reduce health inequity among racial and ethnic minority populations.

Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Create Animated Videos to Attenuate Disparities in Access to Kidney Transplant Information

Introduction: Community-based participatory research and animated video offer promising approaches to attenuate disparities in access to kidney transplant information. Project Aims: We refined an evidence-based animated video curriculum (Kidney Transplant and Donation Information Made Easy) designed for diverse individuals, that is currently being trialed to advance kidney transplant access among referred patients at a single transplant center, to further accommodate information needs in earlier stages of the path to transplant (pre-referral) and to enhance fit for Black and Hispanic people. Design: We describe formation of an academic-community partnership and the application of qualitative research methods and partnership discussions to refine the Kidney Transplant and Donation Information Made Easy videos. A simple content analysis was undertaken of intervention refinement transcriptions, minutes, and meeting notes. Results: We formed a community steering committee and advisory board of local members predominantly of minoritized race or ethnicity. Full engagement with community members is evident in the program's adaptation process. Essential refinement elements were adaptation of 17 original videos and iterative development of 8 new videos with the community, conducting parallel cognitive interviews of an expanded sample of stakeholders, maintaining the theoretical grounding of Elaboration Theory, communication/multimedia learning best practices, and self-efficacy framework, and doing Spanish-language translation. Conclusions: Applying community-based participatory research principles and qualitative methods, we produced a culturally grounded adaptation of the Kidney Transplant and Donation Information Made Easy videos that provides information about kidney transplantation from primary care to transplantation. This approach is likely to strengthen our community partnership and eventual community acceptance of the intervention during the implementation phase. Challenges were achieving consensus and adding Spanish-language translation.

Examining the influence of group diversity on the functioning of community-based participatory research partnerships: A mixed methods study

Public health has endorsed the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address health inequities involving diverse and marginalized communities. However, few studies have examined how group diversity among members of CBPR partnerships influenced how well the partnerships achieve their goals of addressing health inequities through equitable collaboration. We conducted secondary, convergent, mixed methods analysis to (1) evaluate the association between group diversity and participatory decision-making within CBPR partnerships, and (2) identify the perceived characteristics, benefits, and challenges of group diversity within CBPR partnerships. Using data from a cross-site study of federally funded CBPR partnerships, we analyzed and integrated data from surveys of 163 partnerships (n = 448 partners) and seven in-depth case study interviews (n = 55 partners). Quantitatively, none of the measured characteristics of group diversity was associated with participatory decision-making within the partnerships. Qualitatively, we found that partnerships mainly benefited from membership differences in functional characteristics (e.g., skillset) but faced challenges from membership differences in sociocultural characteristics (e.g., gender and race). The integrated findings suggest the need to further understand how emergent group characteristics and how practices that engage in group diversity contribute to collective functioning of the partnerships. Attention to this area can help promote health equity achievements of CBPR partnerships.

Finding voice in a year of collective trauma: Case study of an online photovoice project with youth

In this article, we share findings from a qualitative case study of a virtual youth photovoice program implemented across three regions of the United States. The purpose of the program was to engage youth in research on a social issue relevant to them during an unprecedented year marked by two public health crises, COVID-19 and anti-Black racial violence. Results of an analysis of curriculum and archival program materials lend support for online strategies for youth engagement including individualized support and online audiovisual presentations with avatars. Racial justice and trauma-informed adaptations were designed to be responsive to youth needs for flexible programming and safe spaces. Themes captured in the first online gallery of youth photos include (1) tools for mental health, (2) meaningful connection, and (3) community advocacy, bringing attention to structural issues as well as family and community strengths. Findings suggest photovoice can be thoughtfully adapted for youth researchers and support individual and group storytelling in response to collective trauma.

Understanding Connections between Nature and Stress among Conservation-Engaged Adolescents Using Photovoice Methodology

While the literature supports positive associations between nature and adolescent mental health, mechanisms are not well understood, and assessment of nature varies widely among existing studies. To partner with the most insightful informants, we enrolled eight adolescent participants from a conservation-informed summer volunteer program, applying qualitative photovoice methodology to understand their use of nature to relieve stress. Across five group sessions, participants identified four themes: (1) Nature shows us different aspects of beauty; (2) nature helps us relieve stressful experiences by balancing our senses; (3) nature gives us space to find solutions; and (4) we want to find time to enjoy nature. At the conclusion of the project, youth participants reported that the research experience was overwhelmingly positive, enlightening, and inspired appreciation of nature. We found that, while our participants unanimously reported that nature relieved their stress, prior to this project, they were not always intentional in seeking time in nature for this purpose. Through the photovoice process, these participants noted the usefulness of nature for stress relief. We conclude with recommendations for leveraging nature to decrease adolescent stress. Our findings are relevant for families, educators, students, healthcare professionals, and anyone who works with or cares for adolescents.

Participatory monitoring in community-based fisheries management through a gender lens

In small-scale fisheries management, the significance of participation is widely recognised but we are still learning how this can be better operationalised to include different groups, such as women or Indigenous peoples. Participatory monitoring is one tool which has been used to increase participation in fisheries management. The aim of this review is to use critical interpretive synthesis to examine the literature on participatory monitoring within community-based fisheries management from a gender perspective. The synthesis identified and discussed several key areas: reasons presented in the literature for engaging with the themes of gender or participatory monitoring, gendered aspects of participatory monitoring, knowledge valuation and prioritisation in management, replicability and transparency of programme or research methods, and marginalisation narratives. Our findings show the complexities of conducting gender-aware participatory monitoring. Participatory monitoring has the potential to be a transformative and empowering process if the power dynamics involved are considered and addressed.

Mi Gente, Nuestra Salud: Protocol for a People's Movement for Health Ownership

BACKGROUND

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an increasingly recognized approach to address health inequities. Although in CBPR all processes occur within the community context, its diagrammatic model places the intervention/research outside of the community rather than conceptualizing it as an event in a complex web of system components.

OBJECTIVES

We sought to 1) introduce a systems-oriented community ownership conceptual framework that integrates a systems perspective with CBPR and 2) to describe an application of this framework in the form of the Mi Gente, Nuestra Salud initiative, a research-based, action-oriented collaboration between Cal Poly investigators and community partners in Santa Maria and Guadalupe, California.

METHODS

We conducted a stocktake of community assets and partnerships in Santa Maria and Guadalupe, among California's poorest and most medically underserved cities; created marketing materials; launched the initiative in December 2020; and collected survey and interview data on community health concerns. An advisory board guides direction of the work. Activities are intended to affect partnerships (who is involved in actions and decisions) and processes (what actions will be taken), as well as resources (e.g., building human and social capital by changing narratives of local, historically rooted power dynamics and offering peer learning opportunities on advocacy and health care interactions). Implementation challenges within this framework are also discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

By de-centering specific interventions and conceptualizing them as single events in a complex web, our system-oriented community ownership model brings the focus back to the system itself, and to system-based processes and solutions, while still guided by CBPR principles.

Understanding Indigenous Health Literacy Through Community-Led Engagement

Context: This is the last in a four-part series that describes the outcome of a mixed-methods participatory social justice (MMPSJ) research project. A community engagement model was designed by participants as a synthesis of working with urban Indigenous peoples living on Treaty Six Territory and traditional homeland of the Metis in Saskatchewan, Canada. It responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions calls to Action 10, 18-20. Community-based participatory health research (CBPHR) often sees the community as a place to undertake research in; this research saw the community as providing the leadership for the research. Objective: To show how MMPSJ work can help to shift from community-based to community-led research. Design: Mixed-methods participatory social justice and community-based participatory health research. Participants: Twelve Indigenous people representing four intergenerational families were invited to two Talking Circles to respond to questions derived from the Aboriginal Regional Health Surveys; as well as answer the following questions: What are the current connections between literacy and health within urban Indigenous families? What literacy issues continue to marginalize the community? How would you like this knowledge disseminated? This research was reviewed and approved by the University of Saskatchewan's Behavioural REB. Results/Findings: Knowledge of Treaty Six teachings was increased; participants described the social justice/transformative nature of this work an opportunity to be seen well and whole; and the Community Engagement Model evolved within the MMPSJ design. Conclusions: Community-based research can be transformed to being community-led through careful consideration of power and authentically engaging with the community at each step in the process.

Community-engaged Research Disruption: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Research With Communities

BACKGROUND

The pandemic has had dire consequences on community-engaged research.

OBJECTIVES

We describe research challenges imposed by the pandemic on our breast and cervical cancer intervention study with Southeast Asian immigrant women, and strategies used to maintain study continuity.

METHODS

The pandemic's impact on the research team, recruitment and retention of participants, study design, and strategies executed to these issues are described.

RESULTS

Strategies employed to address research challenges include implementing coronavirus disease 2019 protocols for conducting community research; recruiting participants online, outside of the planned community locations, and through social media; and enhancing the study design by using respondent-driven sampling. In addition to educating communities about early cancer detection, we also provided information and resources about coronavirus disease 2019, including transmission mitigation, testing, and vaccination.

CONCLUSIONS

Continuing to engage the communities in our study is critical to our long-term goal of eliminating cancer screening disparities in Southeast Asian immigrant communities.

Cultivating an ecosystem: A qualitative exploration of sustainability in long-standing community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships

Background

While sustainability is crucial to the success of community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships, there is a lack of conceptual clarity on what defines sustainability and what characterizes sustainability-promoting practices in long-standing (in existence ≥ 6 years) CBPR partnerships.

Objectives

The aim of this article is to explore the definition of sustainability, as well as practices that influence sustainability from the perspectives of academic and community experts in long-standing CBPR partnerships.

Methods

This qualitative analysis is part of Measurement Approaches to Partnership Success (MAPS), a participatory mixed methods validity study that examined "success" and its contributing factors in long-standing CBPR partnerships. Thematic analysis of 21 semi-structured interviews was conducted, including 10 academic and 11 community experts of long-standing CBPR partnerships.

Results

The key defining components of sustainability we identified include: distinguishing between sustaining the work of the partnership and ongoing relationships among partners; working towards a common goal over time; and enduring changes that impact the partnership. We further identified strengthening and capacity building practices at multiple levels of the partnership that served to promote the sustainability of the partnership's work and of ongoing relationships among partners.

Conclusions

Sustainability can be understood as supporting an ecosystem that surrounds the beneficial relationships between academic and community partners. Ongoing evaluation and application of practices that promote the sustainability of partnership activities and relationships may strengthen the long-term effectiveness of CBPR partnerships in advancing health equity.

Photovoice and Instagram as Strategies for Youth Engagement in Disaster Risk Reduction

Community involvement is essential for an all-of-society approach to disaster risk reduction. This requires innovative consultation methods, particularly with youth and during pandemic restrictions. This article outlines methods used for a Photovoice project where we brought together student co-researchers from multiple levels (high school, undergraduate, and graduate health sciences) to explore the topic of youth engagement in disaster risk reduction. Over a two-year period, our team used Photovoice as an arts-based participatory method to collaborate with members of our EnRiCH Youth Research Team. We adapted the protocol to continue our project during the COVID-19 pandemic and presented our work in a Photovoice exhibition using Instagram. This article was written from the perspectives of high school and university students on the project. Our hybrid Photovoice protocol facilitated participation through the pandemic, including a virtual presentation at an international conference and online consultation with the Canadian Red Cross.

Creating academic-community partnerships to jointly enhance advocacy and research on violence and disability: Two case examples

OBJECTIVE

This article describes the use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) to foster bidirectional and equitable academic-community partnerships in two studies related to interpersonal violence and disability.

METHOD

We analyzed our methods and experiences in conducting these studies to focus on the ways in which CBPR methodology was used to jointly promote and enhance research and advocacy surrounding violence and disability in the research processes themselves and the resulting assessment and intervention products.

RESULTS

Our use of CBPR methodology allowed us to identify and address critical issues related to violence in the disability community, such as disability-related forms and experiences of violence, concerns and barriers linked to mandated reporting laws, and inaccessible measures and interventions, and to address them in research products. Additionally, our bidirectional academic-community partnerships led us to address overall accessibility of the research process itself as a means by which to amplify advocate voices in science.

CONCLUSIONS

Full, meaningful, and equitable participation of people with disabilities at every stage of the research process allows for the creation of partnerships that jointly advance research and advocacy around violence and disability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Using a modified version of photovoice in a European cross-national study on homelessness

This study proposes an innovative use of a modified version of photovoice for cross-national qualitative research that allows participants to express their ideas, experiences, and emotions about a topic through photographic language. We examine factors affecting social service providers' work on people experiencing homelessness in Europe. We highlight five advantages of using photovoice in cross-national research: visual language, methodological flexibility, participatory data analysis, the bottom-up process, and the promotion of social change. Moreover, we identify key stages of the process: writing a detailed protocol for the implementation and fidelity of the projects, using two levels of data analysis, and disseminating the results. This study provides lessons learned for others who may want to use photovoice in cross-national research.

COVID-19 shines a light on health inequities in communities of color: A youth-driven photovoice inquiry

This manuscript reports on a youth-driven health assessment engaging youth of color in identifying community health priorities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Photovoice, a participatory visual ethnographic health assessment strategy, was used to explore the question: What does health or healthiness mean to you and/or your community? Youth captured images that represented their priorities. The photos were discussed using the SHOWed framework and analyzed thematically. Four themes related to community health were identified. Additionally, youth captured their narrative of COVID-19 as "a revealing force that highlights systemic inequities, driving individuals and communities to both cultivate their resilience and take healthcare into their own hands in response to government and policy level failures." Youth are acutely aware of the historical and structural inequities that create multi-level barriers to healthcare access. Health inequities existed long before the pandemic, but the current crisis requires us to examine ways to transform the healthcare landscape moving forward.

Nothing About Us Without Us: Using Participatory Action Research (PAR) and arts-based methods as empowerment and social justice tools in doing research with youth 'aging out' of care

Child welfare practices and policies are often disconnected from youth in care's perspectives and lived realities. Youth 'aging out' of care should be empowered to define their own needs, goals and success based on the unique context they are transitioning from. In research, this can be supported by engaging them as co-researchers through emancipatory approaches. Participatory Action Research (PAR) requires collaboration with those who are affected by the issue being studied in all aspects of the research, with the aim to build advocacy capacity and affect transformative social change. Photovoice employs photography and group dialogue - the fusion of images and words - as an empowerment tool, through which individuals can work together to represent their own lived experiences rather than have their stories told and interpreted by others. This is a particularly powerful approach in engaging youth with care experience, as they are often systemically disenfranchised, isolated and in need of connections to the community. This article presents the Relationships Matter for Youth 'Aging Out' of Care project, a Participatory Action Research (PAR) photovoice research project with young people with lived experience, as a case study. The project aimed to take a closer look at the relationships that matter to youth from care and how they can be nurtured over time. Narratives about the experience of participating in the project are also featured, from the perspectives of three of the youth co-researchers. Some of the benefits, challenges and lessons learned are also explored, framed within the Relationships Matter project methodology and process. Recommendations for future social work research are also presented.

"For me, it's just a piece of freedom"-Increased empowerment through physical activity promotion among socially disadvantaged women

Introduction

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an effective health promotion approach for reaching socially disadvantaged groups. However, there is limited evidence on how such interventions and their effects can be reproduced across time and place. The present study examines the effects of BIG (i.e., movement as an investment in health), a long-standing German CBPR project. Since 2005, BIG has aimed to empower women in difficult life situations to increase control over their health determinants and reduce social inequalities by promoting physical activity. One of BIG's key features is its implementation in several German municipalities since 2005. This study explores (a) whether participation could change women's empowerment, and (b) how increased empowerment affects other areas of women's lives.

Methods

With a total of 63 interviewees (i.e., 40 participating women, 7 trainers, 3 project coordinators, and 13 stakeholders), we conducted 53 semi-structured qualitative interviews in five BIG communities between 2007 and 2011. Some interviews were conducted with two people simultaneously. The interview guide contained questions on various dimensions of empowerment (e.g., project engagement, increased self-efficacy, and developed competencies). Framework analysis was used for the analytical process.

Results

BIG contributed to women's empowerment in various ways, including increased self-efficacy, social network promotion, competency development, and increased motivation to change physical activity behavior. Women who took on added tasks and became more involved in project planning also strengthened their organizational empowerment. Furthermore, increased empowerment had a positive influence on the women's quality of life, family, and professional lives.

Conclusion

The novel findings helped in understanding the effects of a complex empowerment-based approach that promoted physical activity among women in difficult life situations. Future research should focus on the long-term effects of these programs and their transferability to other sites. Further effort is necessary in the area of public health policy.

Innovative participatory bilingual data analysis with Latinx/@ immigrants: Language, power, and transformation

OBJECTIVE

The insights of Latinx/@ immigrants are essential to developing interventions that better address complex multilevel phenomena impacting mental health. Despite important advances in methods that genuinely embody participatory research practices, attention to collaborative data collection, analysis, and dissemination are limited. Our aim is to describe the development and implementation of research practices to address these gaps through an emphasis on and understanding of the centrality of language in collaborative research processes.

METHOD

Guided from the outset by community-based participatory research principles, our community-academic research partnership recognized the importance of developing and intentionally studying our collaborative processes. As part of an ethnographic interview study with 24 Latinx/@ immigrants, a community-university research team developed innovative methods, including practices related to research team meetings, data collection, analysis, and dissemination, which we documented through ongoing discussion and reflection.

RESULTS

The resulting participatory research processes were grounded in a theoretical framework of praxis and language and included six innovative and iterative stages: (a) Establishing the research team, (b) planning the interview process/data collection, (c) developing the data analysis methodology, (d) interpreting findings to adapt the intervention, (e) integrating results of the participatory process into the analysis, and (f) data analysis for dissemination.

CONCLUSIONS

A focus on praxis and language revealed how the language of research structures' power, meaning, feeling, collaboration, analysis, and transformation. We also found that bilingual participatory analytic processes have important implications with respect to achieving genuine inclusion in rigorous research that moves toward equity for Latinx/@ immigrants and other populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Participatory science as a decolonizing methodology: Leveraging collective knowledge from partnerships with refugee and immigrant communities

OBJECTIVES

The major global problems of our day, including mass displacement, climate change, violence, and pandemic, necessitate global solutions. In a world where injustice and inequities are rampant, psychologists stand at the precipice of social change and action, with an opportunity to unambiguously decolonize our research methodologies, and engage in scholarship that provides immediate benefits to communities.

METHOD

Participatory methods offer an opportunity to co-create an empowering, equitable, inclusive, and ethical science in partnership with communities.

RESULTS

This special issue on Collaborative and Participatory Research to Promote Engagement, Empowerment, and Resilience for Immigrant and Refugee Youth, Families, and Communities highlights exemplary interdisciplinary work that has emerged in learning from and working in partnership with immigrant and refugee youth, families, and communities.

CONCLUSIONS

The special issue offers six major components of participatory methodologies that provide a roadmap to decolonizing psychological science, recognize the potentials for innovation and impact, and advance the field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Adaptation of a Community Clinical Linkages Intervention to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community Case Study

In this community case study, we describe the process within an academic-community partnership of adapting UNIDOS, a community health worker (CHW)-led community-clinical linkages (CCL) intervention targeting Latinx adults in Arizona, to the evolving landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic. Consistent with community-based participatory research principles, academic and community-based partners made decisions regarding changes to the intervention study protocol, specifically the intervention objectives, participant recruitment methods, CHW trainings, data collection measures and management, and mode of intervention delivery. Insights from this case study demonstrate the importance of community-based participatory research in successfully modifying the intervention to the conditions of the pandemic and also the cultural background of Latinx participants. This case study also illustrates how a CHW-led CCL intervention can address social determinants of health, in which the pandemic further exposed longstanding inequities along racial and ethnic lines in the United States.

Life-Course Marginalities of Positive Health and Aging: A Participatory Approach Integrating the Lived Experiences of Older Irish Travelers and Older Homeless Adults in Multistakeholder Research Processes

There is increased emphasis on adopting positive health and aging policy goals for heterogeneous older populations, and recognition of the role that participatory research approaches can play in supporting their implementation. However, questions remain about how to represent the marginalized experiences of some older populations within such processes. With a focus on older Irish ethnic Travelers and older homeless adults as two vulnerable populations in Ireland, this article presents and critically discusses a participatory approach developed to integrate marginalized older adult perspectives on positive health and aging in a multistakeholder research and development process. The qualitative methodology is first detailed, incorporating methods that harness collaboratively derived views and individual narratives (e.g., focus groups; consultation forums; in-depth interviews). Critical reflections on research implementation and specific considerations relevant to these populations are presented (e.g., trust building; one-to-one facilitation), with lessons then drawn for the design of multistakeholder participatory approaches with marginalized older populations.

Promoting justice through community-based research: International case studies

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to promoting justice focus on working from the ground up and giving a voice to marginalized communities regarding their concerns, potential solutions, and how to address social justice issues that matter to them. The pursuit of justice is often related to efforts to attain personal as well as collective well-being. In this paper, we illustrate three exemplars of community psychologists' efforts to promote justice. Within each case study, we discuss the social and community context and examine how the researchers built partnerships and solidarity, developed ways of doing, and approached challenges and solutions. First, we present an example to promote economic justice through an entrepreneurship initiative developed in collaboration with young Black youth with disabilities in the United States. The second case illustrates an effort to promote reproductive justice in collaboration with Roma women and girls in Spain. The third exemplar depicts the use of life stories as a method to raise the voices of displaced, marginalized indigenous women in Peru. Based on these three case studies, we present a synthesis model of social justice. We also discuss implications for future studies emphasizing the importance of engaging community participants in research meaningful ways, developing sustainable partnerships, and decolonizing research.

A Framework for Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Genetics and Genomics Research

IMPORTANCE

Research into the genetic and genomic ("genomics") foundations of disease is central to our understanding of disease prevention, early detection, diagnostic accuracy, and therapeutic intervention. Inequitable participation in genomics research by historically excluded populations limits the ability to translate genomic knowledge to achieve health equity and ensure that findings are generalizable to diverse populations.

OBSERVATIONS

We propose a novel framework for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in genomics research. Building on principles of community-based participatory research and collective impact frameworks, the framework can guide our understanding of the social, cultural, health system, policy, community, and individual contexts in which engagement and genomics research are being done. Our framework highlights the involvement of a multistakeholder team, including the participants and communities to be engaged, to ensure robust methods for recruitment, retention, return of genomic results, quality of engagement, follow-up, and monitoring of participants.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The proposed engagement framework will guide investigators in optimizing equitable representation in research and enhancing the rigor of genomics investigation.

Photovoice Revisited: Dialogue and Action as Pivotal

Photovoice has gained acceptance as a viable visual method to engage community members as partners in research. However, as methods associated with photovoice have developed and evolved over time, concerns have also been raised with regard to how this impacts the methodological underpinnings on which photovoice rests. The aim of this article is to explore the meaning of dialogue and action as methodologically pivotal for the relevance of photovoice as community-based participatory research; further, using an empirical case and narrative theory, we attempt to contribute to an understanding of the processes that facilitate the viability and relevance of photovoice. By unpacking the contributions of dialogue and action towards a participatory methodology, in this case photovoice, the authors illustrate and argue for aspects critical in photovoice. Drawing on these aspects provides an arena for storytelling and story making, which have not previously had an explicit part in photovoice.

Image to Action: Past Success, Ongoing Questions, and New Horizons for Photovoice Exhibits

When participants define and share their lives through photovoice, they can potentially become empowered as experts in their health needs. Images from photovoice exhibits confront gaps between what researchers and policy makers assume people need and what people show that they need. The exhibit is bridge to action across the socioecological spectrum and a way that photovoice studies have helped affect change at individual, interpersonal, community, institutional, and policy levels. However, for this nontraditional modality of research to be most effective in achieving its goals, substantial buy-in from participants, researchers, and policy makers is necessary. Despite the great potential of photovoice exhibits, difficulties in translating findings to social action, ethical quandaries related to participant privacy and representation, and not knowing the overall impact of exhibits on viewers can severely inhibit success. Consequently, we recommend four areas to consider for the future of exhibits: (1) understanding and measuring empowerment and change that happens for participants via photovoice exhibits, (2) considering innovative and new forms of exhibits and sharing information with the public, (3) documenting exhibit processes to produce lessons learned and guides for others, and (4) exploring the ethics and impact of exhibits on photovoice audiences.

The Drinking Water Tool: A Community-Driven Data Visualization Tool for Policy Implementation

The Drinking Water Tool (DWT) is a community-driven online tool that provides diverse users with information about drinking water sources and threats to drinking water quality and access due to drought. Development of the DWT was guided by the Community Water Center (CWC) as part of the Water Equity Science Shop (WESS), a research partnership integrating elements of community-based participatory research and the European Science Shop model. The WESS engages in scientific projects that inform policy change, advance water justice, and reduce cumulative exposure and disproportionate health burdens among impacted communities in California. WESS researchers conducted qualitative analysis of 15 stakeholder interviews regarding the DWT, including iterative feedback and the stakeholder consultation process as well as stakeholder perceptions of the tool's impact on California water policy, organizing, and research. Results indicate that the DWT and the stakeholder engagement process which developed it were effective in influencing policy priorities and in promoting interagency coordination at multiple levels to address water equity challenges and their disproportionate burdens, particularly among rural and low socioeconomic status areas and communities of color.

Winnipeg's North End Wellbeing Measure: Using Social Innovation to Drive Community Measurements

BACKGROUND

The Winnipeg Boldness Project, a social innovation initiative addressing early childhood outcomes in the underserved community of Point Douglas, worked alongside the community to develop a meaningful measurement tool, the North End Wellbeing Measure (NEWM). This article describes the context, the research and pilot, and the lessons learned.

OBJECTIVES

To develop a community-based tool called the NEWM, which evaluates what is important to Point Douglas families.

METHODS

We used community-based participatory research methods and surveys for data collection.

LESSONS LEARNED

We learned that 1) the language used in relation to notions of well-being and satisfaction could be more precise, 2) our assumptions about strengths-based measurement did not always align with community perspectives, 3) hiring Indigenous people as data collectors is essential, and 4) we need to remain vigilant in our attention to respecting the participants' lived experiences. We also learned that, given the opportunity, the community has a desire to participate in research involving their experiences and well-being and greatly benefit from self-voicing and agency in research development.

CONCLUSIONS

The pilot NEWM demonstrates the benefits and challenges of Indigenous social innovation and will benefit future iterations of the measure, as well as other community-based well-being measures.