𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: 𝗔 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗥𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆

Imagine a rural community experiencing frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases. The community members are concerned about the safety of their drinking water. Through CBPR, researchers and community members collaborate to investigate the water quality issues.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗕𝗣𝗥 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀:

𝟭. 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Researchers meet with community members to understand their concerns and identify the research questions.

𝟮. 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻: Together, the researchers and community members develop a research plan, including data collection methods and analysis techniques.

𝟯. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Community members are trained to collect water samples and conduct surveys.

𝟰. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀: The researchers and community members analyze the data together.

𝟱. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The findings are shared with the community and relevant stakeholders.

𝟲. 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: The community uses the research findings to develop and implement solutions to improve water quality.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗕𝗣𝗥?

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: CBPR empowers community members to take an active role in addressing the issues affecting them. It enables them to direct the goals and decision-making processes of the research projects, fostering a sense of ownership and increasing the likelihood of successful outcomes.

𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲: The collaborative nature of CBPR enhances the value of the research for both the community and the researchers. The knowledge gained is co-created and shared among partners, leading to a richer understanding of the phenomenon under study.

𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱: CBPR is focused on developing actionable strategies and interventions. The research process is oriented towards finding practical solutions, which can have immediate benefits for the community.

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀: CBPR considers the impact of social determinants of health, such as culture, language, and geography. This holistic approach allows for a more comprehensive understanding of health challenges and the development of interventions that address underlying social and environmental factors.

𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: Participating in CBPR can provide educational opportunities for community members, increasing their research skills, critical thinking abilities, and general knowledge.

𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: The active participation and collaboration in CBPR result in solutions that are more likely to be sustainable in the long term because they are developed with local knowledge and ownership.

Overall, through the unique and critical involvement of community members in the research process, CBPR helps to ensure that the research is relevant, culturally competent, and most importantly impactful to the community.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀!

Written by,

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐀𝐤𝐭𝐞𝐫

Assistant Content Lead, BIIHR

LL.B (Hons) International Islamic University Chittagong