225285 Using a community advisory board in CBPR: Lessons learned from the field

Monday, November 8, 2010

Amie Fishman, MPH , Health Education Department, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Juliana Elizabeth Van Olphen, PhD, MPH , Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Doris Fendt, BA , Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA
Karen Levine , Sheriff's Department, Women's Reentry Center, San Francisco, CA
Julie Posadas Guzman, JD , JPG Consulting, Oakland, CA
Formerly incarcerated young women (ages 18-25) face multiple barriers to successful community reentry, not least of which are discrimination and stigma. In order to better understand incarceration-related stigma and discrimination, a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach was employed to explore the experiences of young women while incarcerated in San Francisco (SF) County Jail and post-release. This presentation discusses lessons learned about the feasibility of using a CBPR approach to involve key stakeholders (including young formerly incarcerated women, SF Sheriff's department staff, community based organizations, and academic researchers) to examine policies and practices that impact the health of women leaving jail. Reflections are offered on the strengths and limitations of adopting a community advisory board (CAB) structure to involve key stakeholders as the main vehicle for participation. The CAB was instrumental for building relationships, developing research tools, recruiting participants, analyzing data, and determining means of dissemination. Despite the project's short time frame, sustained engagement of formerly incarcerated women in this research was challenging given their life circumstances. However, this project offers a practical example of how CBPR principles and practice can be incorporated into small projects with limited resources, enhancing the quality and impact of research and providing an example for future CBPR projects with formerly incarcerated people or other disenfranchised communities. Such action-oriented research can be used to change policy and practice in ways that improve the health, well-being, and life outcomes of formerly incarcerated women and their families.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify tools to meaningfully engage community members in participatory research with limited resources. 2. Discuss opportunities and limitations of using a community advisory board when working with disenfranchised communities.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked on issues of incarceration and public health for 10 years and have an advanced degree in public health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.