Sustaining mechanisms used in a CBPR project working with a disadvantaged minority neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio

It has become critically important to determine how to reduce health disparities in our urban centers and Cleveland is unfortunately an ideal location to address these issues. In 2004 and again in 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau identified Cleveland as America's poorest big city. Cleveland State University's Center for Health Equity over the last three years has implemented a NIH/NCMHD-funded planning grant utilizing community based participatory research (CBPR) methodologies to address obesity in youth as defined by the community. Working in one of Cleveland's most disenfranchised neighborhoods, this community-academic partnership worked together to develop and design the pilot project. Due to the unique nature of the community - high density of public housing, a large minority population and being in close proximity to several medical and university institutions, conducting research and projects within this community has its own unique challenges. With that said, the community is enriched with community leaders and agencies that are striving to sustain a productive community. As a result, the project team through community input implemented mechanisms into the design of the pilot to help continue the growth of community leadership and sustainability of the program. Specific sustainable efforts include: 1) support and train agency-identified community assistants (youth and adult), 2) offer leadership training and identifying purposeful community members' role in the sustainability effort, 3) work closely with each intervention sites' manager and appropriately respond to agency's structure/policies, and 4) initiate and tailor a community social marketing campaign.