TY - JOUR
T1 - The value and challenges of participatory research
T2 - Strengthening its practice
AU - Cargo, Margaret
AU - Mercer, Shawna L.
PY - 2008/5/5
Y1 - 2008/5/5
N2 - The increasing use of participatory research (PR) approaches to address pressing public health issues reflects PR's potential for bridging gaps between research and practice, addressing social and environmental justice and enabling people to gain control over determinants of their health. Our critical review of the PR literature culminates in the development of an integrative practice framework that features five essential domains and provides a structured process for developing and maintaining PR partnerships, designing and implementing PR efforts, and evaluating the intermediate and long-term outcomes of descriptive, etiological, and intervention PR studies. We review the empirical and nonempirical literature in the context of this practice framework to distill the key challenges and added value of PR. Advances to the practice of PR over the next decade will require establishing the effectiveness of PR in achieving health outcomes and linking PR practices, processes, and core elements to health outcomes.
AB - The increasing use of participatory research (PR) approaches to address pressing public health issues reflects PR's potential for bridging gaps between research and practice, addressing social and environmental justice and enabling people to gain control over determinants of their health. Our critical review of the PR literature culminates in the development of an integrative practice framework that features five essential domains and provides a structured process for developing and maintaining PR partnerships, designing and implementing PR efforts, and evaluating the intermediate and long-term outcomes of descriptive, etiological, and intervention PR studies. We review the empirical and nonempirical literature in the context of this practice framework to distill the key challenges and added value of PR. Advances to the practice of PR over the next decade will require establishing the effectiveness of PR in achieving health outcomes and linking PR practices, processes, and core elements to health outcomes.
KW - Action research
KW - Community engagement
KW - Community-based participatory research
KW - Empowerment evaluation
KW - Knowledge translation
KW - Partnerships
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=42649113428&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.091307.083824
DO - 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.29.091307.083824
M3 - Article
C2 - 18173388
AN - SCOPUS:42649113428
SN - 0163-7525
VL - 29
SP - 325
EP - 350
JO - Annual Review of Public Health
JF - Annual Review of Public Health
ER -