"You've gotta know the community": minority women make recommendations about community-focused health research.
OBJECTIVE
To determine what ethnic and racial minority women recommend as the best approaches to participatory health research in their communities. To achieve this goal, this study focused on HIV prevention research.


METHODS
In 2003, Seven African American and seven Latina women (ages 33 to 52), all members of an HIV Prevention Collaborative Board, participated in individual interviews, lasting about 90 minutes each. Participants discussed their involvement in participatory research, and made recommendations as to how health researchers might better engage their communities. Data were coded independently by two coders following standard procedure for content analysis.


RESULTS
Women's voices and expertise can help guide health-related research. This study shows that: (1) participatory HIV prevention research should be founded on trust and commitment, leading to social support; (2) research partners ought to come from diverse backgrounds and be knowledgeable about the community and willing to work on common objectives; and (3) collaborative partnerships ought to portray an image of strength and cohesion, and a clear articulation of the mission around a research project.


CONCLUSIONS
To develop meaningful health research, researchers need to establish long-term ongoing relationships with community collaborators, including minority women from diverse backgrounds. Researchers ought to take a holistic approach working with communities, and ought to consider their research interests vis-a-vis the community's needs.
Pinto
Rogério M
RM
Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10027, USA. RMP98@columbia.edu
McKay
Mary M
MM
Escobar
Celeste
C
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States