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Community‐based participatory research (CBPR) has been shown to improve aspects of health promotion initiatives. This case study examines the effects of a CBPR intervention on intermediate outcomes (changes in the community) related to preventing health disparities and chronic disease. We describe how the Kansas City‐Chronic Disease Coalition used CBPR methods to help bring about community changes to reduce risk for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes among African Americans and Hispanics in Kansas City, Missouri. Using an empirical case study design, communities and scientific partners documented and analyzed the contribution of community changes (new or modified programs, policies or practices) facilitated by the coalition in two racial/ethnic communities: African American and Hispanic. Follow‐up interviews suggest that the coalition did a better job of implementing a CBPR intervention in the African American community than in the Hispanic community. Challenges to implementing CBPR interventions in multiple and diverse ethnic communities are discussed.

“Social eating initiatives” are framed as a specific type of community-based food service that provides opportunities for people to eat together in local spaces using surplus food. These initiatives provide a meal that is fresh, affordable and more environmentally friendly than fast or convenience foods. In this research, we build upon the food well-being model to explore how food consumption is experienced in these community settings and the role of social eating projects in shaping the different dimensions of people's foodscapes. We adopted a community-based participatory approach and engaged in a series of dialogues with staff volunteers and coordinators at four “social eating initiatives”. We also conducted 45 interviews with service users and volunteers at three sites in the Midlands region.

The role of community-based food initiatives responding to hunger by utilising surplus food to feed local populations is often conceptualised critically. However, closer attention to the experiences of staff, volunteers and customers at these spaces, reveals them as sites where knowledge and experience of food is being developed with this contributing to a sense of well-being beyond nutrition. Shared food practices and eating together contribute to social capital and are important dimensions of food well-being that are significantly restricted by food insecurity. The “food well-being” model envisages a shift in focus from health, defined as the absence of illness, towards well-being as a positive relationship with food at the individual and societal level. In the concluding remarks of this article, it is suggested that this holistic conception is required to understand the role and function of social eating initiatives.

Community‐based research requires the involvement of both the community and researchers to investigate the influence of existing political, social and structural factors on the health of individuals and communities. In the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, a community‐based intervention is proposed, as part of an EU INCO DEV‐funded project that aims to assess reproductive health care among Bedouin in Lebanon and Jordan. This intervention intends to train Bedouin community health volunteers (CHVs) to spread reproductive and child health knowledge and awareness among the Bedouin community and link them to the existing primary health care centres. The challenges facing this intervention relate to the existing political atmosphere and the difficult process of building and maintaining a partnership between the research team and the Bedouin. Evidence from the data‐collection phase and the current implementation phase of the Bedouin project has shown that the positive outcomes that result from community‐based interventions can be outweighed by the burden of obstacles and challenges that arise. These have to be carefully anticipated and tackled to guarantee a successful intervention. This paper will explore these obstacles and highlight some recommendations for implementing a community‐based intervention on the basis of our experience with the Bedouin.

The purpose of this paper is to detail a project that created a community-based mentoring intervention for sexually abused children and adolescents. The project features the use of family and community strengths, trauma sensitivity, current research and ecological theory to develop a curriculum for training mentors.

This study used Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) methods to create a community-based intervention designed for sexually abused children and adolescents. This model supports the building and maintenance of the often fluid and relationship-driven processes that are characteristic of CBPR. The stages included: identification of research questions; assessment of community strengths, assets and challenges; defining priorities; developing research and data collection methodologies; collecting and analysing data; interpretation of findings; dissemination of findings; and applying findings to address action.

The results include a recommendation to include community members in interventions for sexually abused adolescents.

The results of this study include recommendations for a culturally relevant training curriculum for mentors of sexually abused children and adolescents. Hallmarks of the resulting curriculum included using a hybrid of natural and programme mentors and inclusion of trauma sensitivity in training the mentors. The results from the pilot study are not generalisable since the pilot only included a small number of mentors and the effectiveness of the intervention was not tested. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of the intervention.

The paper includes implications for further development of a mentoring curriculum for sexually abused children and adolescents. This curriculum promotes several potential benefits, including: incorporation of families and communities in discussion and awareness of sexual abuse and trauma sensitivity; and formal training for individuals who have the potential to remain important in the life of the child or adolescent long after formal services have ceased.

The literature shows a lack of community level interventions for sexually abused children and adolescents. The focus of this project was to expand the traditional ecological context of mentoring from a micro or individual level intervention to a community level intervention.

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of community-based and driven approaches during the lockdowns and early periods of the pandemic. The study examines the impact and perceptions of the state-led intervention. This would help to discover a better approach for postpandemic interventions and policy responses.

This article used the inductive method and gathered its data from surveys. In search of global opinions on COVID-19 responses received in communities, two countries in each continent with high COVID-19 infection per 100,000 during the peak period were chosen for study. In total, 13 community workers, leaders and members per continent were sampled. The simple percentile method was chosen for analysis. The simple interpretation was used to discuss the results.

The study showed that poor publicity of community-based interventions affected awareness and fame as most were mistaken for government interventions. The study found that most respondents preferred state interventions but preferred many communities or local assessments of projects and interventions while the projects were ongoing to adjust the project and intervention as they progressed. However, many preferred community-based and driven interventions.

State secrecy and perceived opposition oppression limited data sourcing for this study in countries where state interventions are performed in secret and oppression of perceived opposition voices limited data collection in some countries. Thus, last-minute changes were made to gather data from countries on the same continent. An intercontinental study requires data from more countries, which would require more time and resources. This study was affected by access to locals in remote areas where raw data would have benefited the study.

The absence of data from the two most populous countries due to government censorship limits access to over a third of the global population, as they make up 2.8 out of 7 billion.

The choice of two countries in each continent is representational enough, yet the absence of data from the two most populous countries creates a social identity gap.

The survey collected unique and genuine data and presents novel results. Thus, this study provides an important contribution to the literature on the subject. There is a need for maximum support for community-based interventions and projects as well as global data collection on community-based or driven interventions and projects.

The study explored the impacts of climate change on water resources, and the community-based adaptation practices adopted to ensure water security in a rural community in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

The study was conducted in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The participatory approach was used to allow community members to share their challenges of water scarcity, and the measures they have developed to cope with inconsistent water supply.

The study results show that the community obtains water for household consumption from the reticulation system supplied by Mutale River and the community borehole. These resources are negatively impacted by drought, change in the frequency and distribution of rainfall, and increased temperature patterns. The water levels in the river and borehole have declined, resulting in unsustainable water supply. The community-based adaptation practices facilitated by the water committee include observance of restrictions and regulations on the water resources use. Others involve securing water from neighbouring resources.

This type of community-based action in response to climate change could be used as part of rural water management strategies under climate change.

The purpose of this paper is to explore physical environmental, medical environmental, and individual factors in a sample of ethnic minority adults with or at-risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua.

The study used a cross-sectional descriptive design guided by a community-based participatory research framework. Three coastal communities in the South Atlantic Autonomous Region (RAAS) of Nicaragua were sampled. Inclusion criteria were: lay adult with or at-risk for T2D, ⩾21 years of age, self-identification as Creole or Miskito, and not pregnant. Convenience sampling procedures were followed. Data were collected via objective (A1C, height, and weight) and self-report (Pan American Health Organization surveys, Diabetes Care Profile subscales, and Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-12 (MOS SF-12) measures. Univariate and bivariate statistics were computed according to level of measurement.

The sample (N=112) was predominately comprised of Creoles (72 percent), females (78 percent), and mid-age (M=54.9, SD±16.4) adults with T2D (63 percent). For participants with T2D, A1C levels, on average, tended to be elevated (M=10.6, SD±2.5). Those with or at-risk for T2D tended to be obese with elevated body mass indices (M=31.7, SD±8.1; M=30.2, SD±6.0, respectively). For many participants, fresh vegetables (63 percent) and fruit (65 percent) were reported as ordinarily available but difficult to afford (91 and 90 percent, respectively). A majority reported that prescribed medication(s) were available without difficulty (56 percent), although most indicated difficulty in affording them (73 percent). A minority of participants with T2D reported receipt of diabetes education (46 percent). A1C levels did not significantly vary according to diabetes education received or not (M=10.9, SD±2.9; M=10.4, SD±2.5; t=−0.4, p=0.71). Participants at-risk for T2D were infrequently instructed, by a provider, to follow an exercise program (4.8 percent) or meal plan (4.8 percent) and receive diabetes education (2.38 percent). MOS SF-12 findings revealed participants with T2D (M=41.84, SD=8.9; M=37.8, SD±8.5) had significantly poorer mental and physical health quality of life relative to at-risk participants (M=45.6, SD±8.4; M=48.1, SD±9.5) (t=−2.9, p<0.01; t=−2.5, p=0.01).

Salient physical environmental, medical environmental, and individual factors were identified in a sample of adults with or at-risk for T2D on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast.

Findings informed the development of community-based clinics to address the problem of T2D locally.

The community-based clinics, housed in trusted church settings, provide culturally competent care for underserved ethnic minority populations with or at-risk for T2D.

This is the first quantitative assessment of the T2D problem among diverse ethnic groups in Nicaragua’s underserved RAAS.

The research illustrates the impact of young people shaping a community-based program.

From the perspective of a youth educator, this research uses participatory action research (PAR) in youth urban agriculture education.

Findings illustrate how youth-led programming creates new processes, revealing new educational opportunities. Outcomes of education programs are strengthened by engaging with students in ways that interest them.

Findings illustrate opportunities for social network bonding through community-based farm stands and challenges in social network bridging through Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs).

Previous articles have noted the need for practitioner perspective in youth education. Scholars have also noted the lack of research that assesses the role of youth urban agriculture programming to advance community engagement. This article contributes to both.

Currently, approximately one in 100 Americans meet the criteria for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Males are four-to-five times more likely to be diagnosed than females. Because the demand for ADS community-based services outweigh available resources, applicants are placed on a waiting list until services are available. Some wait for years; many adults with an ASD continue to live with their parents who also often serve as de facto case managers. When the decision of which facility to place a resident comes, most families are unprepared to make the decision. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Community-based participatory research theory was used in designing interviews of family members facing residential facility placement decisions. Ten interviews were conducted with families.

Participant answers were categorized within the topic areas of: physical site, staff, transportation, community, diet, behavior, medical, and faith.

Individuals with ASD and their families have varied answers as to what they desire in a residential facility. The most important factor, however, is that the questions be asked, that they be listened to and be given choices on what residence fits their own particular needs.

This study determined what is important to the families of and individuals with intellectual and mental disabilities and autism when looking for community-based placement.

The purpose of this paper is to identify limitations in managing the implementation of effective teaching and learning in township ECD centres.

This research was grounded in a community-based participatory research approach. A qualitative research design was utilised because phenomena could be studied in terms of the meanings of people. Elements of grounded theory, situational analysis and community-based participatory research were blended. The qualitative research design involved semi-structured face-to-face interviews with teachers in township ECD centres.

The findings from this research made it evident that principals of ECD centres were often absent; had not been trained to manage an ECD centre; had limited skills to manage finances; did not communicate with parents or teachers; and did not motivate teachers to achieve goals or to improve their qualifications.

Challenges that could impede the effective implementation of an intervention programme should be identified and addressed. Principals of ECD centres should be empowered to manage their centres effectively. A training programme aimed at empowering principals of ECD centres has been developed and will be implemented after consultation with the gatekeeper and principals of the ECD centres.

The findings of this research could be used by principals and researchers to reflect on management practices in ECD centres. A challenge for principals is to acknowledge the principles of effective management and to close the gap between current practices and effective management practices. Interventions from academics are essential to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in ECD centres.