Research translation through participatory research: The case of two community-based projects in low-income African settings

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 393-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Isobell ◽  
Sandy Lazarus ◽  
Shahnaaz Suffla ◽  
Mohamed Seedat
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Research Translation ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Social Challenges ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Health Circles

In the context of a call for public health research to address social challenges and transform communities and society, research translation has increasingly become an imperative in South Africa. Research translation seeks to improve real-world settings and enhance quality of life by applying research-generated knowledge. These goals are shared by proponents of participatory action research (PAR). However, the way in which research is pursued constitutes a major focus for PAR, where the paradigmatic position influences how we relate to knowledge and people, and whether and how we achieve the goals concerned. This article contrasts the meta-theoretical positioning of PAR with that of research translation as it is pursued within public health circles, and then argues how PAR both challenge and optimise the espoused goals of research translation through its accent on co-learning, knowledge co-construction, social action and the dialectic between research and action. We offer two African-centred examples of community-engaged research focusing on violence prevention, and safety and peace promotion to illustrate how the participatory mechanisms of empowerment and agency, knowledge co-construction and knowledge sharing foster research translation. Attention to power dynamics, exemplified through researcher reflexivity is emphasised as a key challenge for researchers wishing to address public health challenges.

scholarly journals Community-Led Assessment of Risk from Exposure to Mercury by Native Amerindian Wayana in Southeast Suriname

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Peplow ◽  
Sarah Augustine
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Hazard Quotient ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Research Initiative ◽  
Hair Samples ◽  
Single Objective

This study was a collaboration between Western public health researchers and Suriname indigenous communities. The question asked was “how can Western researchers effectively engage traditional indigenous communities in Suriname, South America, in public health research”. The approach used a combination of Participatory Action Research methods in which “Western” researchers became participating observers in an indigenous-led research initiative. The Wayana communities of Puleowime (Apetina) and Kawemhakan (Anapayke) defined a single objective: determine for themselves whether they are at risk from exposure to mercury (Hg) contamination. Community members collected hair samples for analysis. Hair samples were analyzed using a portable Hg analyzer. Individual, community and hazard quotient indices were used to quantify risk. Results showed the Wayana were at a high lifetime risk of adverse effects from exposure to Hg. This study showed that the community-led approach is an effective way Westerners can engage indigenous communities and address serious public health threats. While factors that appealed to indigenous communities were identified, obstacles inherent to Western research methodology were also encountered.

scholarly journals 4.B. Skills building seminar: Participatory action research: sharing power to improve public health research outcomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Care Programme ◽  
Caregiver Support

Abstract This skills building seminar addresses the use of Participatory Action Research (PAR) as strategy to involve professionals and practitioners from (non-academic) health organizations in public health research. These so-called stakeholders possess external -experiential practice-based- knowledge important for a successful realization of a public health research project. After a short introduction on the why and when of PAR as a suitable strategy in public health research, and the why and when in a project's life cycle stakeholders can or must join, levels of participatory practices will be discussed, as well as consequences of transfer of power from academic researchers to professionals and practitioners in the field. The first part of the seminar will be followed by two real life examples from two projects in Germany: 1) a psycho-oncological care project -hospital-based-, where alarm bells went off during the external prospective evaluation of the new care programme. In the development phase of this new programme,key stakeholders had not been involved yet; and 2) the optimization, by inserting PAR cycles, of a stroke family caregiver support programme before implementation in a public health care system. The audience is invited to discuss research dilemmas, as well as pros and cons of the PAR strategy Key messages Participatory action research is about active collaboration between academics and health professionals to bring transformative change through the process of taking action and doing research. Sharing power between academics and health professionals is vital to improve public health research.

scholarly journals Participatory action research: why sharing power is needed to improve public health research

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Dorant
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Life Cycle ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Participatory Action Research ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Organizational System ◽  
Academic Researchers

Abstract Action research is a qualitative research method well-known for its purpose: to bring transformative change through the simultaneous process of taking action and doing research. It typically employs a cyclical approach of observation, reflection and action. Participatory Action Research (PAR) builds on active collaboration with professionals, practitioners and end–users (stakeholders) working in the system or setting, for instance within a health care setting like a hospital, or within an broader organizational system addressing a public health issue. It seeks to democratize knowledge production and foster opportunities for empowerment by those involved. Especially in public health research, where different organizational systems or levels are interconnected, stakeholder involvement needs to be considered early in the research process. Stakeholders possess expert and insider -experiential- knowledge, and therefore power. PAR advocates for power to be shared between academic researchers and stakeholders, already in the ideation phase of a new research project, but also in the later phases in its life cycle. However, dilemmas have to be solved, like: when in the project's life cycle is the optimal phase to involve stakeholders?how much, at what level or grade, should or could stakeholders be involved, and how much power can be shared between academic researchers and these external stakeholders?Is it worthwhile to involve stakeholders in terms of resources, and who pays the bill?can an academic researcher take the risk of not involving them?

scholarly journals It Starts with a Conversation: The Importance of Values as Building Blocks of Engagement Strategies in Community-Centered Public Health Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2940
Author(s):  
Ewelina M. Swierad ◽  
Terry T.-K. Huang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Meaning In Life ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Engagement Strategies

This study examined the life-motivating values of residents in underserved minority communities to inform the development of community engagement strategies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the main research questions: (1) what were the values of research participants, and (2) what did they consider important in their lives? The participants included twenty-seven ethnically diverse individuals living in low-income neighborhoods in New York City (NYC). Thematic analysis was performed to identify common themes and patterns related to the values that participants considered important in their lives. Three broad themes were identified: (1) benevolence; (2) universalism, and (3) self-direction. Benevolence implies a sense of belonging as the central meaning in life; community engagement strategies focused on this value emphasize concern for the welfare of loved ones. Community engagement strategies focused on universalism emphasize social justice and concern for the environment and the world. Finally, community engagement strategies focused on self-direction seek to satisfy participants’ needs for control, autonomy, and mastery. This study introduces the Value-Based Framework for Community-Centered Research. It illustrates how value exploration is central to a community-centered approach to public health research and can be an important first step for designing studies that are better aligned with community needs and contexts. Such an approach can also help to co-create a “research identity” with community members and integrate their values into a project’s purpose, thereby increasing community ownership and engagement in the study.

Public health challenges in hepatitis C virus infection

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (5 (Suppl.)) ◽  
pp. E83-E90 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M Kaldor ◽  
Gregory J Dore ◽  
Patricia Kl Correll
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus ◽  
Hepatitis C ◽  
Virus Infection ◽  
Hepatitis C Virus Infection ◽  
Public Health Challenges

Eating NAFTA

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyshia Gálvez
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
The North ◽  
The World

In the two decades since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into effect, Mexico has seen an epidemic of diet-related illness. While globalization has been associated with an increase in chronic disease around the world, in Mexico, the speed and scope of the rise has been called a public health emergency. The shift in Mexican foodways is happening at a moment when the country’s ancestral cuisine is now more popular and appreciated around the world than ever. What does it mean for their health and well-being when many Mexicans eat fewer tortillas and more instant noodles, while global elites demand tacos made with handmade corn tortillas? This book examines the transformation of the Mexican food system since NAFTA and how it has made it harder for people to eat as they once did. The book contextualizes NAFTA within Mexico’s approach to economic development since the Revolution, noticing the role envisioned for rural and low-income people in the path to modernization. Examination of anti-poverty and public health policies in Mexico reveal how it has become easier for people to consume processed foods and beverages, even when to do so can be harmful to health. The book critiques Mexico’s strategy for addressing the public health crisis generated by rising rates of chronic disease for blaming the dietary habits of those whose lives have been upended by the economic and political shifts of NAFTA.

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