Community-based Participatory Research Process Research Articles

Strengthening Youth Emotional and Behavioral Well-Being Through Community-Academic Partnership: The EMPOWER Project.

The onset of mental health issues frequently starts during adolescence, where one third of adolescents who are 14 years and younger receive a mental health diagnosis. The state of youth mental health is a major public health concern. The EMPOWER project was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to address youth mental health. The EMPOWER project is a partnership between two after-school programs and an academic mental health hospital in Toronto, Canada, that aims to bolster youth mental well-being. In this Practice Note, we share our community-based participatory research process of how we built the EMPOWER partnership and highlight our lessons learned so far. Through EMPOWER, we aim to codesign, deliver, and evaluate a scalable, evidence-based, and community-informed youth mental wellness curriculum that will be implemented in after-school programs.

Abstract 1005: A three-decade-long community-based participatory research among India and Bhutan’s ethnic minorities led to the discovery of 32 unique medicinal plants having anti-cancer properties

Abstract The country of Bhutan, and India’s Northeast is an economically deprived region inhabited by diverse groups of indigenous and underserved communities. They live in mostly rural areas, where cancer disparity is very high. On the other hand, they have rich traditional knowledge systems including tantra philosophies (remnant of the Vedic age philosophy), herbal medicinal practice, and spiritual practices that can be traced back to India’s Vedic age. To harness this traditional knowledge to reduce cancer disparity, we have taken an indigenous knowledge system (IKS) based approach (1) and initiated a community-based participatory research (CBPR) program in 1998 to conduct public health research in tuberculosis and cancer (2,3). Using this CBPR program, we have unraveled a Vedic age philosophy of Vedic Jiva Upkara Cikitsha Tantra (Vedic altruism-based medicinal system) (2,3). Specially, using the CBPR program we seek to identify novel herbal medicinal agents having anti-cancer activities. Methodologies: We used the CBPR methodologies of focused group discussion (FGD), debate, and community social work with various indigenous communities living in the Sualkuchi-Hajo cultural complex of Assam, Roing of Arunachal Pradesh, and Mongar of Bhutan. Since 1994, BD has conducted CBPR through the KaviKrishna Telemedicine Care. We have retrospectively analyzed the data of FGD, and suppositional reasoning (tarka) with the community healers, various Hindu, and Buddhist ethnic spiritual organizations of the region. Thematic analysis and the grounded theory method were applied to organize the data. The resulting database of herbal medicinal plants was searched in the scientific database to find the scientific names. Out of the 36 medicinal plants, we have prepared herbal extracts of 10 medicinal plants and then tested for their anti-cancer efficacy at the KaviKrishna Laboratory. Results: We have found the names of 32 plants used by the indigenous healers practicing the Vedic Jiva Upakara Cikitsha Tantra. We also found that these healers used curd-made whey protein concentrate, special soil, and fecal extracts to treat cancer (3). Our CBPR process also led to the research capacity building in the Sualkuchi-Hajo community. Conclusion: The study unraveled a unique cancer-care-related philosophy of Vedic Altruism. Our work indicates that IKS-based CBPR can equitably involve researchers and community members to develop a partnership for the process of knowledge emergence. We found that CBPR-based research takes new meaning because of the unique perspectives that inform the ways that research studies take shape for knowledge emergence.

Developing the Feast for the Future Program through a Community Visioning Process

Abstract: Background: Three tribal communities in the Southwestern United States have a long-standing partnership with the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health (JHCIH). Objectives: In response to community concerns about obesity, three tribal communities and Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health partnered to develop culturally relevant plans for a new program. Methods: Using a "community visioning" process, a community advisory board (CAB) from each community identified opportunities, challenges, goals, and visions for their communities. The CABs consulted with experts in pediatrics, nutrition, food distribution, agricultural restoration, and community and school gardening. Results: The CABs developed seven components for Feast for the Future: 1) Edible School Gardens; 2) Traditional Food-ways Education Program; 3) Community Gardens, Orchards, and Greenhouses; 4) Farmers Markets; 5) Farmers Workshops; 6) Family Gardens; and 7) a Mobile Grocery Store. Conclusions: A community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) process was critical to developing a culturally appropriate program that built on community strengths.

User-Centered Design and Usability of a Culturally Adapted Virtual Survivorship Care App for Chinese Canadian Prostate Cancer Survivors: Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Cultural adaptations of digital health innovations are a growing field. However, digital health innovations can increase health inequities. While completing exploratory work for the cultural adaptation of the Ned Clinic virtual survivorship app, we identified structural considerations that provided a space to design digitally connected and collective care. This study used a community-based participatory research and user-centered design process to develop a cultural adaptation of the Ned Clinic app while designing to intervene in structural inequities. The design process included primary data collection and qualitative analysis to explore and distill design principles, an iterative design phase with a multidisciplinary team, and a final evaluation phase with participants throughout the design process as a form of member checking and validation. Participants indicated that they found the final adapted prototype to be acceptable, appropriate, and feasible for their use. The changes made to adapt the prototype were not specifically culturally Chinese. Instead, we identified ways to strengthen connections between the survivor and their providers; improve accessibility to resources; and honor participants' desires for relationality, accountability, and care. We grounded the use of user-centered design to develop a prototype design that supports the acts of caring through digital technology by identifying and designing to resist structures that create health inequities in the lives of this community of survivors. By designing for collective justice, we can provide accessible, feasible, and relational care with digital health through the application of Indigenous and Black feminist ways of being and knowing.

Year 1 Lessons Learned in Building and Sustaining Community-Academic Interdisciplinary Partnerships to Improve Maternal Health

ABSTRACT To understand current maternal health outcomes and growing health disparities, this interdisciplinary project investigates the development of a community advisory board (CAB), guided by the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), which explores the perspectives of providers, community stakeholders, and students. This step-by-step process analysis allows for greater clarity and recognition of areas to consider in future CAB initiatives and use of interprofessional education. Both quantitative and qualitative principles were used to assess and evaluate the process, including survey, observation, and content analysis. While this project remains in the early stages, promising results have emerged supporting strong group dynamics and commitment toward change in the local community while identifying improvements to the overall delivery of the CAB and CBPR process.

Evaluating Human Papillomavirus eHealth in Hmong Adolescents to Promote Vaccinations: Pilot Feasibility Study.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection, causing multiple cancers, including cervical, penile, and anal. Infection and subsequent health risks caused by HPV can be diminished by HPV vaccination. Unfortunately, vaccination rates among Hmong Americans are substantially lower than those among other racial and ethnic groups, despite having higher cervical cancer rates than non-Hispanic White women. Such disparities and sparse literature highlight the need for innovative and culturally appropriate educational interventions to improve HPV vaccine rates in Hmong Americans. We aimed to develop and evaluate the effectiveness and usability of an innovative web-based eHealth educational website, the Hmong Promoting Vaccines website (HmongHPV website), for Hmong-American parents and adolescents to improve their knowledge, self-efficacy, and decision-making capacities to obtain HPV vaccinations. Through social cognitive theory and community-based participatory action research process, we created a theory-driven and culturally and linguistically appropriate website for Hmong parents and adolescents. We conducted a pre-post intervention pilot study to assess the website's effectiveness and usability. Overall, 30 Hmong-American parent and adolescent dyads responded to questions about HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge, self-efficacy, and decision-making at preintervention, 1 week after intervention, and at the 5-week follow-up. Participants responded to survey questions about website content and processes at 1 and 5 weeks, and a subset of 20 dyad participants participated in telephone interviews 6 weeks later. We used paired t tests (2-tailed) to measure the change in knowledge, self-efficacy, and decision-making processes, and used template analysis to identify a priori themes for website usability. Participants' HPV and HPV vaccine knowledge improved significantly from pre- to postintervention stage and follow-up. Knowledge scores increased from preintervention to 1 week after intervention for both parents (HPV knowledge, P=.01; vaccine knowledge, P=.01) and children (HPV knowledge, P=.01; vaccine knowledge, P<.001), which were sustained at the 5-week follow-up. Parents' average self-efficacy score increased from 21.6 at baseline to 23.9 (P=.007) at post intervention and 23.5 (P=.054) at follow-up. Similar improvements were observed in the teenagers' self-efficacy scores (from 30.3 at baseline to 35.6, P=.009, at post intervention and 35.9, P=.006, at follow-up). Collaborative decision-making between parents and adolescents improved immediately after using the website (P=.002) and at follow-up (P=.02). The interview data also revealed that the website's content was informative and engaging; in particular, participants enjoyed the web-based quizzes and vaccine reminders. This theory-driven, community-based participatory action research-designed and culturally and linguistically appropriate educational website was well received. It improved Hmong parents' and adolescents' knowledge, self-efficacy, and decision-making processes regarding HPV vaccination. Future studies should examine the website's impact on HPV vaccine uptake and its potential for broader use across various settings (eg, clinics and schools).

Designing mobile health to align with the social determinants of health.

The maternal health crisis in the United States is becoming increasingly worse, with disparities continuing to escalate among marginalized populations. mHealth can contribute to addressing the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) that produce inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality. Reducing inequities through mHealth can be achieved by designing these technologies to align with SDOH. As mHealth developed to support maternal health has primarily supported the extension of clinical care, there is an opportunity to integrate frameworks and methods from human factors/ergonomics and public health to produce thorough comprehension of SDOH through intentional partnerships with marginalized populations. Potential for this opportunity is presented through a case study derived from a community-based participatory research process focused on transportation access to maternal health services. Through multi-faceted, interdisciplinary, and community-based approaches to designing mHealth that attends to the systemic factors that generate and escalate inequities, improvements in the maternal health crisis could be realized.

Community-based Participatory Research: A Practical Guide for Radiologists.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is defined by the Kellogg Community Health Scholars Program as a collaborative process that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each community member brings. The CBPR process begins with a research topic of importance to the community, with the goal of combining knowledge and action with social change to improve community health and eliminate health disparities. CBPR engages and empowers affected communities to collaborate in defining the research question; sharing the study design process; collecting, analyzing, and disseminating the data; and implementing solutions. A CBPR approach in radiology has several potential applications, including removing limitations to high-quality imaging, improving secondary prevention, identifying barriers to technology access, and increasing diversity in the research participation for clinical trials. The authors provide an overview with the definitions of CBPR, explain how to conduct CBPR, and illustrate its applications in radiology. Finally, the challenges of CBPR and useful resources are discussed in detail. ©RSNA, 2023 Quiz questions for this article are available in the supplemental material.

Transformative impacts of a civic leadership program created by and for refugees and immigrants.

Immigrants and refugees are severely underrepresented at all levels of political decision-making in the United States. These groups face significant barriers to civic and political participation and leadership, despite a frequent commitment to community care and engagement. There is an urgent need to address immigrant integration and underrepresentation through transformative means that go beyond voting to create a more inclusive and socially just society. We investigated outcomes associated with participation in an immigrant integration program designed to increase immigrants' access to civic engagement through a community-based participatory research and action process that centered the voices, experiences, and wisdom of refugees and immigrants. Thirty immigrants and refugees representing at least eight different communities participated in semi-structured interviews. Results illustrate how the program assisted in transforming participants' consciousness, skills, and relationships related to meaningful civic engagement and realizing their voice, power, and rights. These results emphasize the impact and potential of community based participatory research to transform individual and collective efficacy, consciousness, and capabilities-a vital first step in transformative justice.

New Collaborative Research on Suicide Prevention, Practice, and Policy With American Indian and Alaska Native Communities Holds Promise for All Peoples.

Youth suicide is increasing in the United States, with deaths among younger people of color driving this upward trend. For more than four decades, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities have suffered disproportionate rates of youth suicide and years of productive life lost compared to other U.S. Races. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) recently funded three regional Collaborative Hubs to carry out suicide prevention research, practice, and policy development with AIAN communities in Alaska and rural and urban areas of the Southwestern United States. The Hub partnerships are supporting a diverse array of tribally-driven studies, approaches, and policies with immediate value for increasing empirically driven public health strategies to address youth suicide. We discuss unique features of the cross-Hub work, including: (a) long-standing Community-Based Participatory Research processes that led to the Hubs' innovative designs and novel approaches to suicide prevention and evaluation, (b) comprehensive ecological theoretical approaches that contextualize individual risk and protective factors in multilevel social contexts; (c) unique task-shifting and systems of care approaches to increase reach and impact on youth suicide in low-resource settings; and (d) prioritization of strengths-based approaches. The work of the Collaborative Hubs for AIAN youth suicide prevention is generating specific and substantive implications for practice, policy, and research presented in this article at a time when youth suicide prevention is a dire national priority. Approaches also have relevance for historically marginalized communities worldwide.

Building Relationships Between Community Care Professionals and Convenience Stores in Japan: Community-Based Participatory Research.

Convenience stores play an important role in supporting community-dwelling older adults' lives. We started community-based participatory research (CBPR) in Nerima City, Tokyo Metropolitan area in Japan to develop a collaborative relationship to support older adults in the community-based integrated care system. This study aimed to describe the CBPR process and evaluate building face-to-face relationships between health/social care professionals and the owners/employees of convenience stores. Using CBPR, health/social care professionals in community general support centers (CGSCs) directly approached convenience stores based on the public support agreement between the convenience store chain company and the municipality. To evaluate the face-to-face relationship building between convenience store owners/employees and CGSCs' staff, we administered questionnaire surveys to convenience stores in Nerima City and two control cities from 2017 to 2019, and about 100 convenience stores completed the survey each year. Statistical analyses showed significant improvements in their knowledge for relationships with the CGSCs in Nerima City, including "knowledge of the CGSCs' function" (P = 0.001), "knowing individual professionals in the CGSCs" (P = 0.023), and "knowledge of when to contact the CGSCs" (P = 0.002), compared with control cities. Helping behavior for older adults at convenience stores also increased significantly in Nerima City (P = 0.034). The CGSCs' direct approach based on the public support agreement would effectively promote building relationships at convenience stores, leading to an age-friendly community.

Building Relationships Between Community Care Professionals and Convenience Stores in Japan: Community-Based Participatory Research.

Building Relationships Between Community Care Professionals and Convenience Stores in Japan:Community-Based Participatory Research Ayumi Igarashi, RN, PhD, Hiroshige Matsumoto, RN, PhD, Manami Takaoka, RN, PhD, Haruna Kugai, RN, PhD, Miho Suzuki, RN, PhD, Satoshi Murata, Masakazu Miyahara, and Noriko Yamamoto-Mitani, RN, GNP, PhD What Is the Purpose of this Study? • This study aimed to describe a community-based participatory research process and evaluate the development of collaborative relationships between health/social care professionals and convenience stores in the community. What Is the Problem? • Although it is important to establish collaborations between health/social care professionals in the community and convenience stores, there are obstacles to this. • No previous studies had examined strategies for collaborating with private sector enterprises, such as convenience stores, based on the cultures of enterprises and communities. What Are the Findings? • As a result of approaching convenience stores directly, based on the public support agreement, the relationships between healthcare professionals and convenience stores and helping behaviors improved significantly. Who Should Care Most? • Health/social care providers, who need to collaborate with various community members. • Researchers and municipal government, who aim to construct an effective community-based integrated care system. Recommendations for Action • The two-step strategy to build organizational and individual collaborative relationships, which includes direct approach by health/social care professionals, would effectively promote collaboration and helping behaviors at convenience stores. • The strategy could be applied to build relationships with other private sectors, such as supermarkets, banking services, and newspaper delivery services. [End Page e1] Ayumi Igarashi Department of Gerontological Home Care and Long-term Care Nursing, Division of Health Sciences & Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hiroshige Matsumoto Department of Community Health Nursing, Division of Health Sciences & Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Manami Takaoka Department of Gerontological Home Care and Long-term Care Nursing, Division of Health Sciences & Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Haruna Kugai Department of Gerontological Home Care and Long-term Care Nursing, Division of Health Sciences & Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Miho Suzuki Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, Keio University Satoshi Murata ASNA Co., Ltd. Masakazu Miyahara Community and Cultural Affairs Division, Nerima City, Tokyo, Japan Noriko Yamamoto-Mitani Department of Gerontological Home Care and Long-term Care Nursing, Division of Health Sciences & Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Corresponding author: Ayumi Igarashi, Department of Gerontological Home Care and Long-term Care Nursing, Division of Health Sciences & Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033, Japan. E-mail: aigarashi-tky@g.ecc.u-tokyo.ac.jp Copyright © 2023 Johns Hopkins University Press

Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to develop a Deprescribing Intervention.

Context: Older adults are at high risk for medication harm from polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate medications. Patient-driven deprescribing is an emerging approach aimed at increasing patient knowledge and strengthening self-advocacy skills. We used Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to engage stakeholders in developing an educational intervention on patient-driven deprescribing. Objective: To integrate participants into research design by presenting materials and eliciting feedback to better inform a patient-driven deprescribing intervention and its implementation in primary care. Study Design and Analysis: The stakeholders pilot-tested the research materials (letters, consent form, brochures, survey tool) on paper or online and participated in semi-structured interviews to elicit feedback. Setting: Western New York. Population Studied: Elder Voices, an active group of older adults who had previously participated in developing the educational materials. N =7 (4 paper; 3 online). Instrument: The semi-structured interview was developed based on cognitive interviewing to ensure that the stakeholders interpreted the research materials and survey questions correctly. Outcome Measures: Qualitative data to inform the research intervention. Results: Participants suggested lay language and clarification of terms in the survey and brochures and insertion of additional graphics and visualizations for reader engagement. The interviewees were concerned about the length and use of academic language in the letters, consent form, and surveys. They also cited lack of technological capacity for some older adults to access the online intervention tool. Modifications to the research materials were incorporated within the parameters of institutional requirements and finalized for use in a primary care practice. Conclusions: The CBPR process with Elder Voices informed the design of the educational intervention and research materials. The study contributes to deprescribing research as an example of how CBPR may be used to engage older adults in developing a deprescribing study. Including stakeholders in the research design provides an equitable voice to those impacted by the intervention. Further, it provides insight to the research team on how to better equip patients with the correct knowledge and tools to become empowered participants in their healthcare decisions.

Curriculum-in-Motion: Bringing Community Education to Life through Community-Based Participatory Action Research

This article presents a case study of the process of bringing community education to life as it was developed by the Community Education Programme at the Centre of Integrated Post-School Education at Nelson Mandela University. The article argues for a learning programme that co-creates learning starting from the experience of participants (curriculum-in-motion) as opposed to a learning programme and curriculum structured around systematised knowledge. The article describes in detail the process of developing a learning programme from the lived experience of marginalised and excluded communities through the process of community-based participatory action research, and argues for an approach to the development of community education and the curricula associated with its learning programmes as praxis—the process of engaged participation in intentional intellectual and practical work to construct an educational space for social change.

Creating collective solidarity: Insights from the development and process evaluation of civic action for refugee empowerment in Cincinnati.

Our goal was to describe the development, progress, and functioning of Civic Action for Refugee Empowerment in Cincinnati (CARE: Cincinnati) as a model for community-based participatory research (CBPR) with refugees. We conducted a participatory evaluation to assess our collective ability to employ shared power and equitable decision-making, and to facilitate structures that build member ownership and solidarity. We identify principles and processes that can be used by researchers, practitioners, and activists interested in working toward the creation of more equitable community spaces for refugees. Twelve refugee research team members representing seven different countries and ranging in age from 16 to 75 engaged in the participatory evaluation and are coauthors of this manuscript. All participants were interviewed by an external researcher, who transcribed and anonymized responses. Academic researchers first developed preliminary themes and then the entire research team verified, prioritized, and expanded themes. The experiences of refugee team members illustrate an iterative process of reflection and action that are both personally satisfying and encourage work for deeper change. The themes further illustrate that the CBPR process aided in developing a sense of solidarity among diverse team members and that the dynamic and participatory organization of the group fostered equitable and creative decision-making. Our participatory evaluation suggests that future research partnering with refugees that brings together diverse teams to share power will not only improve research quality and dissemination, but will also serve as a tangible benefit for refugee team members. The shared reflection, analysis, and action process inherent in the research process are individually motivating to refugee team members and foster possibility for transformative change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Design a Patient and Practitioner-Centered Group Prenatal Care Model.

In response to disproportionately high rates of infant mortality and preterm birth among women of color and women in poverty in Fresno County, California, community and academic partners coordinated a community-based participatory research (CBPR) project with local residents. Social isolation and stress, inaccessible prenatal care, and dissatisfaction with care experiences were identified as leading predictors of poor birth outcomes. The PRECEDE-PROCEED framework was used to lead the CBPR effort that resulted in the development of a model of group prenatal care, named Glow! Group Prenatal Care Program (Glow! Program). Group prenatal care (GPNC), which focuses on pregnancy health assessments, education, and peer support, has the potential to address the health and social priorities of women during pregnancy. As a result of the employed CBPR process and the extensive participation from stakeholders, this modified GPNC model responds to the unique needs of the at-risk community members, the agencies aiming to improve maternal-child health experiences and outcomes, and the prenatal care providers offering it to their patients. The methods from this study can be applied in the design and implementation of community-based health care interventions. Returning to community partners throughout the design, implementation, and evaluation phases underscored that health care interventions cannot be designed in silos, and require flexibility to respond to factors that promote improved maternal and infant outcomes, which affect the end goal for the intervention.

Formative Assessment to Improve Cancer Screenings in American Indian Men: Native Patient Navigator and mHealth Texting.

Cancer screening rates among American Indian men remain low, without programs specifically designed for men. This paper describes the Community-Based Participatory Research processes and assessment of cancer screening behavior and the appropriateness of the mHealth approach for Hopi men’s promotion of cancer screenings. This Community-Based Participatory Research included a partnership with H.O.P.I. (Hopi Office of Prevention and Intervention) Cancer Support Services and the Hopi Community Advisory Committee. Cellular phone usage was assessed among male participants in a wellness program utilizing text messaging. Community surveys were conducted with Hopi men (50 years of age or older). The survey revealed colorectal cancer screening rate increased from 51% in 2012 to 71% in 2018, while prostate cancer screening rate had not changed (35% in 2012 and 37% in 2018). Past cancer screening was associated with having additional cancer screening. A cellular phone was commonly used by Hopi men, but not for healthcare or wellness. Cellular phone ownership increased odds of prostate cancer screening in the unadjusted model (OR 9.00, 95% CI: 1.11–73.07), but not in the adjusted model. Cellular phones may be applied for health promotion among Hopi men, but use of cellular phones to improve cancer screening participation needs further investigation.

Health Psychological Self-Sufficiency (Health-PSS): A Bottom-Up Human-Social Development Approach to Health Equity

This article presents a community-based participatory action research process in a mixed-methods study to uncover a holistic perspective on what constitutes “good health and well-being” as one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This bottom-up approach to defining health from the community perspective challenges the general government and health industry assumptions and practices to promote top-down health equity. Applying the definition of social development as “achieving a civil society based on freedom and justice”, the emerging findings adds to the social determinants of health framework in health disparities research. As multiple stakeholders added to the definitions of health and well-being, a process-based understanding of health emerged. Health psychological self-sufficiency (Health-PSS) is a process of recogniting various individual and structural barriers and reaching for improved health-related goals with hope actions leading to health empowerment in literacy, access, and outcomes. Human-social development implications for promoting health equity by building an inclusive health system with a culture of co-sufficiency that align individual and organizational processes are discussed.

Transforming socio-economic development in QwaQwa community of South Africa

In the process of socio-economic development, the rural environment has witnessed various setbacks, mostly in agro-social and the socio-economic sustainability of the QwaQwa community of South Africa. Evidence exists from the literature, our observations and experience that sustainability in the rural economic development of the QwaQwa community is not equal and stable, which has exposed the youths of the community to crime and various anti-social activities such as drugging, drinking, gangsterism, raping, among others. Therefore, the asset-based community development approach was adopted to instigate stakeholders’ intention toward community emancipation. This was done within the lens of the transformative paradigm designed with the community-based participatory action research process. The research comprised key stakeholders such as community leaders, NGOs, and youths. A structured interview was used to elicit information from the selected participants. We used socio-thematic analysis to make sense of the data in order to understand the sociality of the people living within the spotted problem. The study revealed that the community is endowed with arable farming land and team spirit, but criminalities were found to challenge their development. In its quest for rural emancipation, the study also found out that the QwaQwa community needs empowerment programs in social and agricultural skill development.

Mobilizing Established School Partnerships to Reach Underserved Children During a Global Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has led to drastic public health measures, including school closures to slow the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Reopening educational settings by using diagnostic testing approaches in schools can help accelerate the safe return of students and staff to on-site learning by quickly and accurately identifying cases, limiting the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and ultimately preventing unnecessary school and work absenteeism. Although the National Institutes of Health has identified community partnerships as the foundation for reducing health disparities, we found limited application of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach in school engagement. Guided by the CBPR conceptual model, we provide case studies of 2 established and long-standing school-academic partnerships built on CBPR processes and practices that have served as a research infrastructure to reach underserved children and families during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. The process described in this article can serve as an initial platform to continue to build capacity toward increasing health equity.