What is meant by “community representation” in CBPR? Lessons from the Healthy Environments Partnership

The concept of community is a popular topic of discussion in the public health literature and within community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships. Much attention is paid to how “community” is defined and the importance of having a diverse body of members to “represent” communities of interest. However, less is known about how community is embodied within CBPR partnerships or the dynamics of community representation beyond membership composition. Based on an analysis of 13 in-depth interviews conducted as part of the evaluation of a CBPR partnership process, this presentation will explore the concept of “community representation” as discussed by community and academic partners of the Healthy Environments Partnership in Detroit, Michigan. In this presentation we will discuss: a) how community and academic partners envisioned and perceived representation of community members in the partnership; b) how representation was modeled by organizational and individual members on the partnership steering committee; and c) community-generated suggestions for improving representation of grassroots participants and community-based organizations. Evaluation findings suggest that “participation” of community members and “representation” of communities of interest were not always fully consistent. Also, supplemental models of community engagement were proposed to augment traditional steering committee membership, including involving grassroots members who might be less affiliated with established partner agencies and community-based organizations. The experiences of this urban partnership can offer valuable guidance to CBPR partnerships challenged with ensuring that diverse segments of the community are well-represented and sustained in partnerships working to improve health and reduce disparities.