What to know
When initiating health improvement projects, intentionally engaging the community can help inform the project's goal and impact. When the community is engaged, they bring their perspectives and understandings of community life and health issues to a project.
Section Overview
Over the last two decades, research and practice in health promotion have increasingly employed community engagement. The literature recognizes lifestyles, behaviors, and the incidence of illness are all shaped by social and physical environments. When the community is engaged in health improvement efforts, their perspectives and understandings of community life can enrich the project's impact.
The growing commitment to community engagement is reflected in a number of major federal initiatives, including:
- Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) program
- Research Centers in Minority Intuitions program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- CDC's Prevention Research Centers
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Chapter 1 offers an interdisciplinary background of concepts to draw from when developing partnerships in community engagement.