Community-coordinated Research as HIV/AIDS Prevention Strategy in Northern Canadian Communities.

The Tlichǫ Community Services Agency's (TCSA) Healing Wind Strategy identifies a number of activities and interventions to address the prevention of STI/HIV/AIDS in the Tlichǫ region of the Northwest Territories of Canada. As a part of this strategy, the TCSA and CIET facilitated research to develop a foundation for interventions targeting sexually transmitted infections. The project recruited and trained community-based researchers who conducted a research survey on sexual health attitudes and behaviours in the four Tlichǫ communities, covering 65% of the population above 9 years of age. The research process, outcomes, and the strategic plan that arose from the research findings produced a clear framework for interventions that are grounded in the community, but could also influence national and territorial policy. The approach may be relevant in other settings.

Knowledge profiling as emergent theory in community-based participatory research.

BACKGROUND: Many sources of valid knowledge may be relevant to a research question. Communities need a mechanism to explore the full range of knowledge that could enrich community-based research. A knowledge profile (KP) is an integrated description of the knowledge and expertise that, once assembled, can help to explore a research issue. OBJECTIVE: This article describes the establishment of a KP as a purposive process whereby the initial research team identifies the kinds of knowledge that can help to articulate and refine a research question, and assemble the right research team and resources. METHOD: The KP process is conducted by a core team, which may expand to include additional expertise. The four phases of a KP are (1) creating the research space, (2) articulating and negotiating, (3) identifying the research question, and (4) creating the resource inventory. The process is illustrated by a case study. The outcomes of a successful KP include an inventory of existing and required resources, a strong research team operating in an ethical and safe research space, and clear articulation of the research question. The KP can be revisited regularly throughout a project to evaluate the effectiveness of the research team. CONCLUSION: KP provides a road map for community-based research teams to navigate through the early phase of research development.