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Participatory Action Research (PAR): An Approach for Improving Black Women's Health in Rural and Remote Communities

Dalhousie University School of Nursing, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, MSW, RSW

School of Social Work, Dalhousie University

Bunmi Oyinsan, MA

York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Barbara Clow, PhD

Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health, Dalhousie University

Women are among the most disadvantaged members of any community, and they tend to be at greatest risk of illness. Black women are particularly vulnerable and more prone than White women to illnesses associated with social and economic deprivation, including heart disease and diabetes. They utilize preventive health services less often, and when they fall ill, the health of their families and communities typically suffers as well. This article discusses the process of doing innovative participatory action research (PAR) in southwest Nova Scotia Black communities. The effort resulted in the generation of a database, community action, and interdisciplinary analysis of the intersecting inequities that compromise the health and health care of African Canadian women, their families, and their communities. This particular research effort serves as a case study for explicating the key tenets of PAR and the barriers to and contradictions in implementing PAR in a community-academic collaborative research project.

Key Words: Black women • health • participatory action research • community capacity building • interdisciplinary collaboration

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Journal of Transcultural Nursing, Vol. 18, No. 4, 349-357 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1043659607305195


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Etowa, J. B. Articles by Clow, B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Etowa, J. B. Articles by Clow, B. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Rural Health Concerns Social Bookmarking                         What's this?