title: "Girls take charge": a community-based participatory research program for adolescent girls.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Adolescent females are at high risk for health disparities. An approach to minimizing health disparities involves facilitating changes in the environment within the community. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an important method of producing community change.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objectives were for adolescent females to learn the CBPR process, implement a community health change project, and build capacity by engaging community agencies.
  
  
  METHODS
  After conducting an assessment of community problems, the adolescents formed a coalition of community partners and implemented a Lead Poisoning Awareness Fair and a "lock-in" to educate about child maltreatment. A pre- and post-test research design was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The community changes that resulted were policy change for routine lead testing, a DVD about child maltreatment, and care packages for adolescent mothers. Modest increases in knowledge about lead poisoning and child maltreatment occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adolescent females were successful in using CBPR to produce positive community changes.
authors.affiliation: Munroe-Meyer Institute at University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: Judith R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Therese L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Mathews
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mwaja
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control*; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010781:Photography