Abstract

Community-based participatory research is regarded as an equitable research approach that is operationalized within a social justice framework. It has been referred to as a continuum of research approaches from action research to participatory action research. Researchers are increasingly drawn to CBPR for collaborative health research that values community participation to redress issues of health inequality arising from socioeconomic disadvantage. Distinguishing features of effective CBPR include: blurring the distinction between researchers and research participants, minimizing power imbalances, and researching in partnership with communities towards positive community outcomes that are sustainable beyond the life of the research. Inherent complexities of communities and partnership arrangements can, however, lead to methodological and ethical challenges for researchers. Recent studies have found this to be the case, pointing to the need for adequate training and preparation for researchers who are new to CBPR. The intention for this chapter is to provide an overview of the conceptual foundations of CBPR and practical guidance for operationalizing each phase of the research process, while raising awareness of important considerations for the researcher role, from seeking ethics approval and entering the community, to dissemination of results. Drawing on international studies, lessons learned from experienced CBPR researchers are summarized so that researchers new to CBPR can build on their understanding and strengthen their studies in the future.