Dissemination of results in research utilizing the community based participatory research approach

Background: Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a powerful approach to understanding complex health problems. Substantial literature details methods of dissemination, yet there is no systematic evaluation of how well the CBPR approach leads to dissemination, specific challenges to dissemination, and the range of current dissemination efforts.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature using OVID's Medline, PsycInfo and CINAHL (Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature) for articles published in peer-reviewed journals from January 1, 2005 to June 9, 2008 meeting stringent definitions for CBPR. We invited corresponding authors to complete a web-based survey as an additional forum to discuss dissemination efforts.

Results: Seventy-seven articles met inclusion criteria. In the majority of studies, results were disseminated to community participants (95.4%) and the general public (77.3%). Results were disseminated before publication to community participants more often than to the general public (82.2% v 54% of studies). Most dissemination, whether to community participants or the general public, is not mentioned in publication. Reasons for limited dissemination included lack of funding, high staff turnover at community partner agencies, and challenges of disseminating to "low-literacy" populations.

Conclusions: Among projects meeting stringent criteria for CBPR, dissemination to community participants and the general public is largely occurring. However, while this work establishes a baseline for current dissemination efforts, challenges to timely and widespread dissemination remain. Further research should assess whether the most vulnerable populations, who might gain the most from the CBPR approach, are those for whom dissemination is systematically limited.