title: A community-engaged approach to select geographic areas for interventions to reduce health disparities.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While neighborhood-based approaches to eliminate health disparities are on the rise, there is little guidance on how researchers may engage with community partners to select geographic areas for interventions to reduce health disparities. We aimed to identify a small geographic area to target interventions to improve diabetes-related outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We describe lessons learned from a community-engaged approach to specify the geographic area of focus.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community-academic partnership of more than 20 organizations collaborated to develop and employ a 5-stage process to specify a target area for diabetes preventions and control activities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A coalition with local knowledge and ties to the community can develop criteria and direct a process leading to selection of a geographic area, increased research capacity, and strengthened relationships among partners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A participatory approach can be effective in defining a geographic area for targeting interventions to reduce health disparities.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cromley
authors.forename: Lawrence C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Kleinman
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Guedy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arniella
authors.forename: Nalini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Viswanathan
authors.forename: Mischka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garel
authors.forename: Carol R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Horowitz
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006265:Health Care Coalitions / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D011204:Poverty Areas; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000145:classification
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