Principles of Community Engagement (Second Edition)

1. ENGAGING AND MAINTAINING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Many communities distrust the motives and techniques of research Some
know of the history of exploitation and abuse in medical research in the
U S , and others may be “burned out” from participation in studies Some
may have immediate needs that make research seem irrelevant, and some
may merely lack an understanding of the research enterprise
Thus, when research is involved, the challenges of community engagement
may be particularly profound The vignettes that follow address some of the
most common dilemmas in engaging a community in research and maintaining
the relationship over time The take-home messages offered at the
end of each vignette are grounded in the principles of community engagement,
as they demonstrate the importance of understanding communities;
establishing trusting, respectful, equitable, and committed relationships;
and working with the community to identify the best ways to translate
knowledge into improved health
A. How do you engage a community in a randomized clinical trial or a drug trial?
Sally Davis, PhD
Challenge
Community-based research does not always allow for full participation of
the community from start to finish, as is envisioned in the classic CBPR
model In CBPR, the community often comes up with the research question
or issue of interest based on personal experience, but in a randomized
controlled trial (RCT), the funding agency or investigator generally develops
the question based on pressing health issues identified from surveillance or
other data sources A community-based RCT is often an efficacy trial and
may include many schools or communities across a large geographic area
For example, the PRC at the University of New Mexico conducted an RCT
on obesity prevention with 16 rural Head Start centers across the state An
RCT conducted in the traditional way is done in an artificial “laboratory”
setting within an academic health center or practice setting; an RCT in the
111