Have you ever heard of CBPR? That’s short for Community-Based Participatory Research, which is research conducted equally between formally trained experts and members of the community.

CBPR can be an extremely effective way to institute positive change in a community. The combination of experts and community members in research involves a blending of perspectives and processes that is beneficial to everyone.

Teamwork is especially important in CBPR, because if the study is controlled only by academics, the participants may feel removed or dispensable, and will be less likely to become involved in executing the overall goal.

But on the other end of the spectrum, if the process is entirely dominated by the community, the objective outside perspective necessary for recognizing and correcting potential pitfalls is lost.

One effective example of CBPR is the Cambodian Women’s Health Project, a collaborative project between Community Health for Asian Americans, Prevention Research Center, Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants, and Cambodian Community Development, Inc. (CCDI).

The two-year program involves a multi-generational group of nine Cambodian women sharing and using their personal experiences to promote healthy behaviors in their community.

One goal of the project is to build capacities of the local Cambodian community to assess health issues affecting members and respond proactively, and to build the capacities of scientific researchers to partner with communities. Another goal is to work with the community to determine and create a culturally appropriate intervention for an issue that it considers important and relevant, as opposed to the way traditional research works.

So far, according to leaders, the project has been a success. Because they believe their voices are valued, the Cambodian women are taking ownership of the process and becoming active participants.

To learn more about the Cambodian Women’s Health Project, read ‘Cambodian women address community health issues.’