Revisiting the Foundations of Community-Based Research

By Brenda Roche

The following is an introductory excerpt from the research publication New Directions in Community-Based Research. This important report by Brenda Roche at the Wellesley Institute provides a more critical analysis of the current state and practices of Community Based Research (CBR) and calls for the evolution of CBR to better integrate community perspectives, insights and experiences with research that is grounded both conceptually and methodologically. To read the full report, click here.

Community based research 1or Community based participatory research (CBR or CBPR) is guided by the core principles of collaboration and partnership where research brings together community and academic expertise to explore and create opportunities for social action and social change. At its best CBR has the ability to reveal more complex understandings of health and health disparities. CBR has been particularly valuable in highlighting the experiences of health disparities for disadvantaged or marginalized urban populations. Documenting health beliefs and practices in a community context can help to recognize both the obstacles and the opportunities for change. It is here where critical opportunities are created for the development and implementation of timely, real-world solutions.

There is rich foundation to what we have termed ‘Community Based Research’ or CBR. An extensive body of literature exists both internationally and closer to home, with ancestral roots in action research 2, participatory methodologies 3 and community development 4. Most recently, work being done in community based participatory research (CBPR) in the US has played an influential role for CBR in Canada 5. The conceptual work by Barbara Israel and others have provided a critical template for what has come to be regarded as the core dimensions of CBR 6

Key Principles of Community-Based Participatory Research

• Recognizes community as a unit of identity.
• Begins with and builds on strengths and resources within the community.
• Facilitates collaborative, equitable partnership in all phases of the research, involving an empowering and power sharing process.
• Promotes co-learning and capacity building among all partners involved.
• Integrates and creates a balance between knowledge generation and action for mutual benefit of all partners.
• Emphasis on local relevance of public health and social problems and ecological approaches that address the multiple determinants of disease and well-being.
• Involves systems development through a cyclical and iterative process.
• Disseminates findings to all partners and involves all partners in the dissemination process.
• Involves a long-term process and commitment 7

Together these dimensions have given shape to a “working definition” of CBR, most astutely summarized in the guidance put forth by the Kellogg Foundation outlining its understanding of CBPR as part of its Community Health Scholars Program.

CBPR is a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings. CBR begins with a research topic of importance to the community with the aim of combining knowledge and action for social change to improve community health and eliminate health disparities 8

Endorsed by leading researchers and widely referenced across bodies of literature – from the academic and the “grey” literature 9, to presentations and workshops at community forums and professional meetings — this definition has functioned as a reference point for community groups and academics seeking to work together on local issues.

It is this “working definition” that has guided the practice of CBR in Canada, particularly with respect to health and social research. This is well-evidenced by the “CBR community” in
Toronto, where a growing body of collaborative research exists, conducted by academics, nonprofit organizations, community practionners and community members in partnership 10.

Key stakeholders, including the Wellesley Institute, have worked to create an infrastructure for community based research through research mentoring and training initiatives in research and community capacity building 11. The rapid growth of region-specific networks such as those in Toronto, Ottawa, and more recently the Pan-Canadian network speaks to both the sense of commitment of practionners and a continued desire for professional development and recognition.

There has been great value in promoting this commitment to working alongside communities. Skill development and capacity building in basic research has been an important, proactive tool for community organizations in the non-profit sector. It marks a critical departure for this sector from a time when research was linked with program restructuring and funding cuts. Access to these resources has enabled practionners to take the initiative in assessing and documenting needs within their communities and giving shape to evaluations that chart the strengths and the challenges of service provision from a perspective “on the ground”.

The rise of localized training resources has continued to develop, becoming more specialized in nature and scope in order to meet community, agency or project specific needs. More broadly, networks have emerged to establish opportunities for the exchange of information and resources (namely “tools-kits” and “best practice” guides), to create forums for the examination of issues in CBR, and facilitate informal connections for individuals in the field. The success of the Toronto CBR Network, with a membership of nearly 200 practionners, attests to the strength of such efforts 12

Cumulatively the work of CBR practionners — whether locally based or further afield — has laid an important foundation for research on the social determinants of health. Decisive and well-established research collaboratives have been formed, uniting community members, community representatives and academics on steering committees, research advisories, and as working partners on research projects and community initiatives 13.

In addition to these emerging community-academic partnerships, participatory methods play a formative role. Operating as both ideological “muse” (giving shape to the conceptual underpinnings of CBR) as well as providing research “guidance” (defining the ways in which research methods are translated and made concrete in practice) participatory methods have become the cornerstones of CBR.

There are considerable strengths that accompany such a foundation, including a growing sophistication in the way CBR is envisioned and implemented. The strengths of a CBR approach have been well documented 14. CBR can yield vital and practical knowledge critical to understanding health needs, as well as programmatic, service delivery options. In the work funded, supported and conducted by the Wellesley Institute, this has been clearly demonstrated, especially as it relates to the health needs for disadvantaged communities 15.

Brenda Roche, PhD is Director of Community-Based Research at the Wellesley Institute, an independent non-profit research and policy institute working to advance health equity through community-based research, community engagement, social innovation and policy development. She has recently returned to Toronto from the UK, where she was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Anthropology and Health at the Gender, Violence and Health Centre of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She comes with academic and community based research experience exploring social and health issues in urban settings, including homelessness, sexual health, violence and psychological trauma and distress. Her doctorate, through the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, examined discourses on trauma' that operate within the context of refugee resettlement, and how these influence health and social care practices for women (and their families) seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom.

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