Using CBPR in Action Research: Engaging the African American and Black Jamaican Community in Prostate Cancer Disparity/Action Research

Introduction: Little is known about how the cultural and ethnic profiles of African American and Jamaican-born Black men living in the South impact their health attitudes and behaviors in regard to prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening.

Methods/Results: The authors conducted a CBPR study comprised of one-hour individual guided interviews with a sample of men representing two black ethnic subgroups—U.S.-born and Jamaican-born Black men living in the metropolitan Atlanta area. Demographic and health attitudes surveys were administered to all participants prior to the interviews. Participants were asked to talk openly about their sense of self, their ethnicity and culture, and their health-related attitudes and behaviors in general, and prostate cancer specifically.

We developed and utilized community partnerships through CBPR methods to: (1) engage the African American and Jamaican communities, (2) get buy-in for the study, (3) create distinct definitions of African American and Jamaican, (4) inform questionnaires and interview guides, (5) provide cultural and cognitive feedback on study findings, and (6) create a forum to communicate study results back to the African American and Black Jamaican communities in the metropolitan Atlanta area.

Conclusion: CBPR is an effective method to engage the African American and Black Jamaican community in prostate cancer action research that is designed to reduce and ultimately eliminate the glaring racial and ethnic disparities in prostate cancer among Blacks and Whites.