title: Investigating health disparities through community-based participatory research: lessons learned from a process evaluation.
abstract: This article describes one university's efforts to partner with a local agency (the "Coalition") within a disadvantaged, predominantly African American neighborhood, to assist them with studying their community's health disparities and health care access. The final, mutually agreed-upon plan used a community-based participatory research approach, wherein university researchers prepared neighborhood volunteers and Coalition members to conduct face-to-face interviews with residents about their health and health care access. Subsequently, the Coalition surveyed 138 residents, and the agency now possesses extensive data about the nature and extent of health problems in their community. Lessons learned from these experiences are offered.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work , University of South Alabama , Mobile , Alabama , USA.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.forename: Willette
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Brye
authors.forename: Kenneth
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hudson
authors.forename: Leevones
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dubose
authors.forename: Shantisha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hansberry
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arrieta
mesh_terms: D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D006265:Health Care Coalitions; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D017057:Medically Uninsured / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities / Q000458:organization & administration*
keywords: Health disparities; community-based participatory research; university–community partnerships