Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 Dec;91(12):1926-9.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.91.12.1926.

Can public health researchers and agencies reconcile the push from funding bodies and the pull from communities?

L W Green  1 , S L Mercer
Affiliations

Can public health researchers and agencies reconcile the push from funding bodies and the pull from communities?

L W Green et al. Am J Public Health. 2001 Dec.

Abstract

Responding to growing impatience with the limited application of research findings to health practices and policies, both funding bodies and communities are demanding that research show greater sensitivity to communities' perceptions, needs, and unique circumstances. One way to assure this is to employ participatory research-to engage communities at least in formulating research questions and interpreting and applying research findings and possibly also in selecting methods and analyzing data. "Community" should be interpreted broadly as all who will be affected by the research results, including lay residents of a local area, practitioners, service agencies, and policymakers. Participatory research should not be required of every project, but when results are to be used for, in, and by communities, those communities should collaborate not only in applying findings but also in determining the ways in which the findings are produced and interpreted.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure
Figure
FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Levels of participation and collaboration of different groups in participatory research (PR).
FIGURE 2—
FIGURE 2—
Degree of participation by different stakeholders, by type of research or community action.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Nutbeam D. Health literacy as a public health goal: a challenge for contemporary health education and communication strategies in the 21st century. Health Prom Int. 2000;15;259–267.
    1. Ratzan SC. Health literacy: communication for the public good. Health Prom Int. 2001;16;209–214. - PubMed
    1. Park P, Brydon-Miller M, Hall B, Jackson T, eds. Voices of Change: Participatory Research in the United States and Canada. Toronto, Ontario: OISE Press; 1993.
    1. Kassam Y, Mustapha K. Participatory Research: An Emerging Alternative Methodology in Social Science Research. New Delhi, India: Participatory Research Network; 1982.
    1. Ramudu L, Bellet B, Higgs J, Latimer C, Smith R. How effectively do we use double staff time? Aust J Adv Nurs. 1994;11(3):5–10. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources