Space within the Scientific Discourse for the Voice of the Other? Expressions of Community Voice in the Scientific Discourse of Community-Based Participatory Research.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has captured public health attention and support because it is positioned as an approach that involves researchers and communities as equitable partners in addressing health disparities. However, it is unknown the extent to which CBPR creates a participatory space in the scientific discourse to signal "community voice," which we define as textual expression of community-centered perspectives on collective roles, interests, and worldviews. In this study, we utilized the culture-centered approach to examine the expression of community voice in the abstracts and public health relevance statements of 253 extramural CBPR projects in the U.S. that received funding from the National Institute of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2009. We found that project abstracts and public health relevance statements contain four textual domains, or potential sites of contest to signal the articulation of community agency and voice within the CBPR projects. These domains include: 1) the rationale for the community health issue, 2) the roles of community partners, 3) community-centered outcomes of the partnership, and 4) elements of participatory research process. The degree of culture-centeredness of the texts is suggested in the extent to which articulations of community agency and voice are signaled across the four domains. We conclude that the dynamics of CBPR may shape culture-centered expressions of problem identification, solution configuration, structural transformations, reflexivity, values, and agency in the project abstracts and public health relevance statements.

Restor(y)ing Health: A Conceptual Model of the Effects of Digital Storytelling.

We currently see an interdisciplinary shift toward a "participatory turn" in health research and promotion under which community engagement, shared decision making and planning, and the use of visual and digital methods have become paramount. Digital storytelling (DST) is one such innovative and engaging method increasingly used in applied health interventions, with a growing body of research identifying its value. Despite its increasing use, a standard approach to empirically assess the impacts on individuals participating in DST interventions does not currently exist. In this article, we define DST as a distinct narrative intervention, illustrate key elements that inform the methodology, and present a conceptual model to examine how DST may contribute to increased socioemotional well-being and bolster positive health outcomes. Our proposed model is informed by elements of narrative theory, Freirian conscientization, multimodality, and social cognitive theory and can serve as a guide for public health practitioners and researchers interested in assessing the potential benefits of DST as an applied health intervention. Recommendations for practice call for a rigorous methodological approach to apply and test this model across a range of health contexts and populations.

Puerto Rican Latina Youth Coming Out to Talk About Sexuality and Identity.

Public health efforts focused on Latina youth sexuality are most commonly framed by the syndemic of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, a narrow and often heteronormative focus that perpetuates silences that contribute to health inequities and overlooks the growing need for increased education, awareness, and support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. This article presents findings from the project Let's Talk About Sex: Digital Storytelling for Puerto Rican Latina Youth, which used a culturally centered, narrative-based approach for analyzing participants' own specifications of sexual values and practices. The strength of digital storytelling lies in its utility as an innovative tool for community-based and culturally situated research, as well as in its capacity to open up new spaces for health communication. Here we present two "coming out" case studies to illustrate the value of digital storytelling in supporting the development of meaningful and culturally relevant health promotion efforts for LGBTQ-identified Puerto Rican Latina youth across the life span.

Diffusion of clean indoor air ordinances in the southwestern United States.

The authors investigate the process through which clean indoor air ordinances were considered in 10 communities in the southwestern United States and key factors that influenced diffusion and adoption. Clean indoor air ordinances, which ban smoking in public places, were adopted in approximately 1,409 U.S. communities from 1986 to April 2004. The authors gathered data from 10 communities in New Mexico and Texas by means of face-to-face interview, e-mail, and telephone interviews and by analyzing archival materials. Important influences on the adoption or rejection of clean indoor air ordinances were (a) personal experiences of policy champions, (b) local framing of the ordinance as a public health issue versus as an economic/ business or an individual rights issue, and (c) interpersonal networks connecting a community to previously adopting communities. The policies that were adopted ranged in comprehensiveness, with each community of study reinventing model policies obtained from other communities.

A framework for research utilization applied to seven case studies.

BACKGROUND: It is widely acknowledged that prevention research often is not fully or adequately used in health practice and/or policies. This study sought to answer two main questions: (1) Are there characteristics of research utilization in communities that suggest stages in a process? (2) What factors, including barriers and facilitators, are associated with the use of prevention research in community-based programs, policies, and practices? METHODS: Researchers used a multiple case study design to retrospectively describe the research-utilization process. A conceptual framework modified from Rogers's diffusion of innovations model and Green's theory of participation were used. Data were gathered from archival sources and interviews with key people related to any one of seven community-based practices, programs, or policies. Fifty-two semistructured interviews were conducted with program or project staff members, funding agency project managers, community administrators and leaders, community project liaisons, innovation champions, and other members of the research user system. RESULTS: Participation in the process of research utilization was described by using characteristics of collaborative efforts among stakeholders. Program champions or agents linking research resources to the community moved the research-utilization process forward. Practices, programs, or policies characterized by greater community participation generally resulted in more advanced stages of research utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Investigating the interactions among and contributions of linking agents and resource and user systems can illuminate the potential paths of prevention research utilization in community settings. Because community participation is a critical factor in research utilization, prevention researchers must take into account the context and needs of communities throughout the research process.

Utilization of prevention research: searching for evidence.

OBJECTIVE: Understanding the process of translating prevention research into practice calls for systematic efforts to assess the state of the published literature on the utilization of prevention research in public health programs and policy. This review describes the search strategy, methods, results, and challenges in identifying and reviewing literature relevant to this objective. METHODS: Systematic searches of topics related to prevention research in literature published in 1995-2002 revealed 86 empiric articles in 12 public health areas. RESULTS: A lack of uniform terminology, variation in publication sources, and limited descriptions of the stages of research utilization (e.g., adoption and implementation) in the published literature posed major challenges to identifying articles that met study criteria. Most accepted articles assessed the adoption or implementation of prevention research; four examined long-term sustainability. There was approximately equal distribution of reported research set in either health services or public health settings. Few of the articles contained search terms reflecting all four concept areas (prevention, public health, research, and use) targeted by the literature search. CONCLUSIONS: Refining terms used in prevention research and research utilization could address lack of shared and unique definitions. Expanded reporting of research utilization stages in reports of prevention research could lead to improved literature searches and contribute to more successful adoption, implementation, and further use of prevention research products.