Exploring community-based participatory research for household and ambient air pollution projects: insights from key informants.

BACKGROUND: Despite the extensive use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) in health-related projects, there is limited work on how CBPR processes result in outcomes, especially in household and ambient air pollution (HAAP) research. This study explores the reflections of key informants on factors that shape the implementation and outcomes of CBPR in HAAP projects. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 key stakeholders, including academic researchers, non-governmental organisation administrators, a policymaker, and community members. All interviewees have experience in CBPR projects. Interviews were analysed using framework analysis, and findings were mapped to Wallerstein et al.'s CBPR conceptual model, which consists of four constructs: context, partnership processes, intervention and research, and outcomes. RESULTS: The findings are described under two main categories: 'barriers to participation' and 'good practices for effective CBPR design and implementation'. Relevant sub-categories were barriers at the structural, research, community, and individual levels. Suggestions for good practices included respect, cultural humility, trust, effective communication, suitable and affordable interventions such as improved cookstoves, appropriate participatory research tools, and gratuity for the community's time. CONCLUSION: Key informants' perspectives identified factors supported by the CBPR model to inform the design and implementation of the CBPR approach. The add-ons to some of the model's factors, such as intra-community dynamics, give value to the informants' knowledge to support community-research partnerships and improve outcomes in HAAP intervention projects. Addressing these factors at the design stage and reporting CBPR evaluation could deepen the understanding of community-research partnerships.

Exploring theoretical mechanisms of community-engaged research: a multilevel cross-sectional national study of structural and relational practices in community-academic partnerships.

BACKGROUND: Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is often used to address health inequities due to structural racism. However, much of the existing literature emphasizes relationships and synergy rather than structural components of CBPR. This study introduces and tests new theoretical mechanisms of the CBPR Conceptual Model to address this limitation. METHODS: Three-stage online cross-sectional survey administered from 2016 to 2018 with 165 community-engaged research projects identified through federal databases or training grants. Participants (N = 453) were principal investigators and project team members (both academic and community partners) who provided project-level details and perceived contexts, processes, and outcomes. Data were analyzed through structural equation modeling and fuzzy-set qualitative comparison analysis. RESULTS: Commitment to Collective Empowerment was a key mediating variable between context and intervention activities. Synergy and Community Engagement in Research Actions were mediating variables between context/partnership process and outcomes. Collective Empowerment was most strongly aligned with Synergy, while higher levels of Structural Governance and lower levels of Relationships were most consistent with higher Community Engagement in Research Actions. CONCLUSIONS: The CBPR Conceptual Model identifies key theoretical mechanisms for explaining health equity and health outcomes in community-academic partnerships. The scholarly literature's preoccupation with synergy and relationships overlooks two promising practices-Structural Governance and Collective Empowerment-that interact from contexts through mechanisms to influence outcomes. These results also expand expectations beyond a "one size fits all" for reliably producing positive outcomes.

Partnerships, Processes, and Outcomes: A Health Equity-Focused Scoping Meta-Review of Community-Engaged Scholarship.

In recent decades, there has been remarkable growth in scholarship examining the usefulness of community-engaged research (CEnR) and community-based participatory research (CBPR) for eliminating health inequities.This article seeks to synthesize the extant literature of systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and other related reviews regarding the context, processes, and research designs and interventions underlying CEnR that optimize its effectiveness. Through a scoping review, we have utilized an empirically derived framework of CBPR to map this literature and identify key findings and priorities for future research. Our study found 100 reviews of CEnR that largely support the CBPR conceptual framework.