Capacity-building through a community action team: Findings from an intimate partner violence prevention program

Background: Community health programs are effective when members of the target community are actively involved in the development and dissemination of program materials and activities. However, little is known about the impact of this involvement on these active community members. The Shanti Project (TSP) was a socioculturally-relevant social marketing campaign to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) in an immigrant Asian community in Michigan. This study assessed the impact of participation on Community Action Team (CAT) members who collaborated with university-based researchers to plan and implement TSP. Methods: CAT members participated in at least one individual in-depth interview about their involvement in the project (n=14) and completed a survey at baseline and several months the project ended (11 CAT members completed both surveys). Surveys and interviews assessed knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about IPV, gender roles, communication, identities, and community involvement. Results: Paired sample t-tests of survey data indicate that, post-participation, CAT members reported significantly higher knowlege about IPV, were less likely to endorse gendered role divisions, more likely to know what to do as a bystander in an IPV situation, and more positive about their community's capacity to prevent IPV. In interviews, CAT members expressed increased knowledge about IPV, increased self-efficacy in communicating about IPV within their community, and increased appreciation of their own Asian identities. Conclusion: This study suggests that the use of a CAT in a community-based health program can serve as a vehicle for building future leadership within a community by building capacity through increased knowledge, improved self-effiacy and development of communication skills.