Engaged for Change: A Community-Engaged Process for Developing Interventions to Reduce Health Disparities

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Disparities Research
• Intervention Science

Background:

• The development of interventions to reduce health disparities lacks established models and theoretical frameworks.
• Existing scientific innovation in intervention development has lagged behind other areas.
• Community-engaged research partnerships are crucial for effective intervention design.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel, 13-step process for guiding health intervention development.
• To demystify the intervention development process for researchers and practitioners.
• To provide a practical framework for creating efficacious interventions to reduce health disparities.

Main Methods:

• A 13-step intervention development process is outlined and described.
• The process is based on over 15 years of community-engaged intervention research experience.
• Key steps include team formation, needs assessment, priority generation, theory integration, and pilot testing.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive 13-step process for intervention development is presented.
• The process incorporates community engagement, theoretical grounding, and iterative refinement.
• Detailed steps cover needs assessment, priority setting, activity crafting, material honing, pilot testing, and editing.

Conclusions:

• The proposed 13-step process offers a structured approach to intervention development.
• This framework aims to enhance the efficacy of interventions designed to reduce health disparities.
• Implementing this process can guide researchers and practitioners in creating impactful health interventions.