Community-Based Participatory Research

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an applied collaborative approach that enables community residents to more actively participate in the full spectrum of research (from conception – design – conduct – analysis – interpretation – conclusions – communication of results) with a goal of influencing change in community health, systems, programs or policies. Community members and researchers partner to combine knowledge and action for social change to improve community health and often reduce health disparities. Academic/research and community partners join to develop models and approaches to building communication, trust and capacity, with the final goal of increasing community participation in the research process. It is an orientation to research which equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings.

Improving public health often entails moving beyond the conventional health care system to include integrated and innovative approaches. CBPR has emerged as an alternative research paradigm which integrates education and social action to improve health and deepen our scientific base of knowledge in the areas of health promotion, disease prevention, and health disparities. It is regarded as an effective method for transferring evidence-based research from clinical settings to communities that can most benefit thereby improving health. CBPR's community-partnered research processes offer the potential to generate better-informed hypotheses, develop more effective interventions, and enhance the translation of the research results into practice. Thus, CBPR is an essential tool for action-oriented and community-driven public health research.

Advantages of community-based participatory research include:

• Joining partners with diverse expertise to address complex public health problems
• Improving intervention design and implementation by facilitating participant recruitment and retention
• Increasing the quality and validity of research
• Enhancing the relevance and use of data
• Increasing trust and bridging cultural gaps between partners
• Providing resources for the communities involved
• Benefiting the community and researchers alike through the knowledge gained and actions taken
• The potential to translate research findings to guide the development of further interventions and policy change

Additionally, a CBPR Scientific Interest Group (SIG) has been established at the NIH with the purpose of strengthening communication among federal agencies with an interest in supporting CBPR methodologies in the conduct of biomedical and behavioral research, education, health care delivery, or policy. The NIH CBPR SIG’s priority objectives are as follows:

1. Serve as a focal point to identify and develop new, coordinated activities to increase awareness, understanding and use of CBPR;
2. Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of CBPR;
3. Identify challenges and opportunities for supporting CBPR; Encourage research training and career development opportunities for CBPR researchers and practitioners; and
4. Serve as a network through which information can be shared regarding community-based participatory research activities.

Recent Funding Opportunities

• PA-08-074 (R01) Funding Opportunity Announcement: Community Participation in Research
• PAR-08-075 (R01) Funding Opportunity Announcement: Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved
• PAR-08-076 (R21) Funding Opportunity Announcement: Community Participation Research Targeting the Medically Underserved
• FAQs: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for PAR-08-075 and PAR-08-076
• Sampling of grants (49k) funded through OBSSR’s CBPR funding opportunity announcements
• PI Guidance: A Guide for Applicants of OBSSR-initiated Funding Opportunity Announcements
• Applicant Pitfalls: A List of Common Application Problems

Recent Training Initiatives

Select the hyperlinked text for complete information:

• Workshop at 11th Annual Community-Campus Partnerships for Health Conference: “An Introduction to Community-Based Participatory Research at the National Institutes of Health: A Road Map to Funding”, Portland, OR May 12, 2010
• International Training Institute: "Engaging Communities to Improve Global Health: Reducing Disease Burden through Collaborative Approaches", Johannesburg and Durban, South Africa August 2010
• Summer Institute: "2009 NIH Summer Institute on Community-Based Participatory Research Targeting the Medically Underserved" New Orleans, LA August 2-7, 2009
• Special Session at 104th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association: “Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR): When Academic/Research Institutions Meet the Real World” San Francisco, CA August 10, 2009
• Training Workshops at 8th Annual International Conference on Urban Health: "Applying Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to Effectively Improve the Health of Community Populations", Nairobi, Kenya October 22-23, 2009
• Session at 137th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association: "Understanding and Promoting Community-Based Participatory Research at the National Institutes of Health", Philadelphia, PA November 9, 2009
• Technical Assistance Workshop: "Leap into the Community" Bethesda, MD February 29, 2008

For additional information on the listed resources and initiatives, please contact OBSSR’s lead, Dana M. Sampson at Sampsond@od.nih.gov.

How can you obtain information on relevant funding opportunities at the NIH? There are several ways including:

• Subscribe to the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) listserv dedicated to disseminating NIH Funding Opportunity Announcements on behavioral and social sciences research. Instructions on how to subscribe are available at: http://obssr.od.nih.gov/funding_opportunities/BSSR_guide_to_grants_at_the_NIH/guideIndex.aspx.
• Subscribe to the NIH Guide listserv which provides weekly listings of all new research opportunities at the NIH. Instructions on how to subscribe are available at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/listserv.htm.
• Search the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts (a.k.a. “The NIH Guide”) which is the official publication for all NIH research grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities. It is available at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/.
• Subscribe to the Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) listserv that is co-sponsored by Community-Campus Partnerships for Health (CCPH) and the Wellesley Institute. The CBPR listserv is a resource for sharing knowledge and experience with the goal of contributing to strengthening the field of CBPR. To join the listserv, visit: http://mailman2.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/cbpr.

Sampling of Grants Funded:
Sampling of grants funded through OBSSR’s community-based participatory research (CBPR) funding opportunities:

Recommended References:

Achieving the Promise of Authentic Community-Higher Education Partnerships: Community Partners Speak Out! (2007). Seattle, WA: Community-Campus Partnerships for Health. 
(Available online at: http://depts.washington.edu/ccph/pdf_files/CPSReport_final1.15.08.pdf)

Israel, B., Eng, E., Schulz. A., et al., (eds). (2005). Methods in community-based participatory research for health. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Israel, B., Schulz, A., Parker, E., Becker, A. (1998). Review of Community-Based Research: Assessing Partnership Approaches to Improve Public Health. Annual Review of Public Health, 19, 173-202.

Minkler, M. and Wallerstein, N. (eds). (2008). Community-Based Participatory Research for Health: From Process to Outcomes (2nd edition). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Minkler, M., Breckwith Vasquez, V., Tajik, M., Petersen, D. (2008a). Promoting Healthy Public Policy through Community-Based Participatory Research. Oakland, CA: PolicyLink.
Seifer, S.D. and Calleson, D.C. (2004). Faculty perspectives on community-based research in academic health centers: Implications for policy and practice. Journal of Interprofessional Care. 18(4): 63-74.

Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action published by The Johns Hopkins University Press. *The first national scholarly journal dedicated to CBPR.
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/progress_in_community_health_partnerships_research_education_and_action/