Enhancing Community-Based Participatory Research Partnerships Through Appreciative Inquiry

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community-Based Research
• Program Evaluation

Background:

• Community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships face challenges in trust, power dynamics, funding, and equitable participation.
• Challenges in CBPR offer opportunities for partnership growth, necessitating tools for issue identification and resolution.
• Effective tools must align with CBPR principles, promoting equal feedback for partnership improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the use of appreciative inquiry (AI) as a tool to enhance empowerment in community-university CBPR collaborations.
• To strengthen ongoing and future community-university relationships within CBPR.

Main Methods:

• Appreciative inquiry (AI) was implemented at the conclusion of a community-university partnership focused on cancer screening for Tongan women.
• Individual interviews and group discussions were utilized to explore partnership strengths and identify tensions.
• The process focused on identifying and discussing challenges within the context of existing partnership and community strengths.

Main Results:

• Program staff highlighted shared values and effective program management as key strengths enabling successful outcomes.
• Identified challenges included partner approaches, role definition, and program development/implementation timelines.
• Recommendations were formulated to address challenges and enhance future CBPR collaborations.

Conclusions:

• The AI process successfully renewed partners' commitment and enthusiasm for collaboration.
• AI facilitated a reclarification of roles, providing valuable insights for future endeavors.
• The study demonstrates AI's utility in strengthening CBPR partnerships and empowering participants.