Researcher and Researched-Community Perspectives: Toward Bridging the Gap

• Published in: Health education & behavior Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 130 - 149
• Main Authors: Sullivan, Marianne, Kone, Ahoua, Senturia, Kirsten D., Chrisman, Noel J., Ciske, Sandra J., Krieger, James W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2001; Sage; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Attitude to Health; Biological and medical sciences; Communication Skills; Community; Community Benefits; Community Involvement; Community Relations; Community-Institutional Relations; Cooperative Behavior; Departments; Ethnic Diversity; Ethnic Groups; Ethnic Groups - psychology; Female; General aspects; Health Promotion; Humans; Individual Characteristics; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Male; Medical sciences; Models, Organizational; Planification. Prevention (methods). Intervention. Evaluation; Principals; Public Health; Public Health Practice; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Qualitative Research; Research - organization & administration; Research Assistants; Research Design; Research Projects; Researchers; Sampling; Semi Structured Interviews; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Stereotypes; Washington; Washington; Human; Community health; Operation; Research; Health promotion; Public health
• ISSN: 1090-1981; 1552-6127
• DOI: 10.1177/109019810102800202

In the process of initiating a new community-based research project, the authors wanted to understand the experiences of community members and researchers in community-based research projects and to develop guidelines to improve future projects. They conducted qualitative, key informant interviews with 41 people involved at all levels of community-based research projects in Seattle. Respondents were identified using a snowball sampling technique. More problems than successes were discussed by informants, including dissatisfaction with the focus of research, which some said is marked by a lack of cultural appropriateness and relevance. Power imbalances, lack of trust, and communication difficulties impeded collaboration. According to respondents, many problems could be avoided if the community were involved from the beginning in setting research priorities and developing and implementing interventions. Meaningful collaboration between communities and researchers is characterized by early involvement of communities, power sharing, mutual respect, community benefit, and cultural sensitivity.