Establishing a Framework for Sustainable Community Action Research

Abstract

Community-based participatory research/ community-partnered participatory research (CBPR/CPRR) is viewed as a critical ap­proach for improving health and address­ing inequities found in under-resourced communities by pairing community partners and academic partners to address health and environmental concerns. This article aims to amplify the potential of the current CBPR/CPPR models through insights learned from the underserved community of Watts in south central Los Angeles. We discuss our framework that shifts the primary academic focus in the community-academia partner­ship from individual investigators and/or research groups to the academic institution to generate sustainable partnerships. We summarize the Community Action Research Engagement (CARE) Framework as a new set of recommended tenets to expand CBPR/ CPPR. This framework can provide guid­ance for how universities can catalyze: 1) building trust; 2) facilitating knowledge; 3) advancing solutions; and 4) fostering men­torship in the context of leveraging a univer­sity’s position to address the root causes of community inequities and thus create more sustained partnerships that achieve greater impact within their surrounding com­munities.Ethn Dis. 2022;32(4):333-340; doi:10.18865/ed.32.4.333