Utilizing Community Based Participatory Research Methods in Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx Communities in the US: The CDC Minority HIV Research Initiative (MARI-Round 4)

Abstract

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Minority HIV Research Initiative (MARI) funded 8 investigators in 2016 to develop HIV prevention and treatment interventions in highly affected communities. We describe MARI studies who used community-based participatory research methods to inform the development of interventions in Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx communities focused on sexual minority men (SMM) or heterosexual populations. Each study implemented best practice strategies for engaging with communities, informing recruitment strategies, navigating through the impacts of COVID-19, and disseminating findings. Best practice strategies common to all MARI studies included establishing community advisory boards, engaging community members in all stages of HIV research, and integrating technology to sustain interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implementing community-informed approaches is crucial to intervention uptake and long-term sustainability in communities of color. MARI investigators’ research studies provide a framework for developing effective programs tailored to reducing HIV-related racial/ethnic disparities.

“They should’ve talked to us more”: lay health advisors’ experiences with community-engaged hypertension research

“…This issue might have been avoided if LHAs had been closely connected with a strong project leader and/or project “champion” as noted in past LHA research [ 25 ]. However, researchers must attend closely to the tensions between research goals and what is necessary for building and maintaining strong collaborative and equitable community relationships [ 41 ], as well as staying flexible and open to LHAs’ ideas [ 1 ]. This study suggests the need for continued vigilance, even among, or perhaps especially among, health disparities researchers in balancing research rigor with community concerns in community-engaged research.…”

“…In recent decades, comprehensive and participatory research approaches have been emphasized as ideal in addressing complex social determinants of health and health disparities in marginalized communities. When specific disparities affect particular populations, conducting culturally tailored, community-informed research in the affected communities is essential for developing a strong understanding of the phenomena [ 1 ]. Community-engaged research, including communities (patients and the public) in research, is increasingly understood as an effective way to understand specific disparities and work toward health equity.…”

An ecologically informed transdisciplinary prevention model for Black and Latine family wellbeing

“…Latine families, including those in the realm of mental health and psychological wellbeing, are traditionally embedded in deficit perspectives about these communities-often ignoring their cultural wealth and knowledge, their collective agency, and their connection to community, place, and space (Gonzalez et al, 2005;Moll, 2019;Holland, 2017;Scott et al, 2021). To address deficit perspectives, there have been a number of recent calls from mental health scholars and practitioners for a greater focus on empowerment and prevention rather than intervention efforts (Fusar-Poli et al, 2021;Blaisdell et al, 2023) and the use of community-based initiatives that center and empower Black and Latine families (Evans et al, 2023;Jensen & Case, 2022).…”

Successes and barriers identified by public health professionals engaging Hispanic communities.

“…These findings were derived from a mental health needs assessment with 61 community-based participants, including community residents, service providers, and executive/program directors (Torres Stone et al, 2020). Finally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Minority HIV Research Initiative emphasizes the effectiveness of community-based research in building trusting relationships, leveraging community strengths, and sustaining engagement throughout intervention stages when engaging Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx communities (Evans et al, 2023).…”