Community action and reflective practice in health promotion research

Authors: Boutilier M.^{1, 3}; Mason R.²; Rootman I.¹

Source: Health Promotion International, Volume 12, Number 1, March 1997 , pp. 69-78(10)

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Abstract:

While health promotion practitioners are engaging increasingly in research, there has been little examination of the practical dilemmas they may face in negotiating and collaborating with academics and community members in action research projects. This paper analyses how the practice of health promotion can interact with action research, and considers issues that arise for organizationally based health promotion practitioners and professional researchers. The first section charts types of action research along three dimensions (power, goals/values, resources). The second section examines some of the issues and practical dilemmas which arise in negotiating and researching collaborative projects in community health promotion. The discussion includes the differing perspectives of: practitioners (managerial and frontline), community members and academic researchers. The final section outlines a hybrid model of action research, developed in our work with community members, organizationally based health promoters and academy-based researchers. It combines the reflective practice of practice-based action research with the community participation and control of participatory research. The model is called community reflective action research.

Keywords: community health promotion; participatory action research; reflective practice

Language: English

Document Type: Original article

Affiliations: 1: North York Community Health Promotion Research Unit, Room 9A, Department of Behavioural Science, McMurrich Building, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2: Onatrio Institute for Studies in Education,Toronto, Ontario, Canada 3: Corresponding author

Publication date: 1997-03-01

• Health Promotion International responds to the move for a new public health throughout the world and supports the development of action outlined in the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. The quarterly journal is is an Official Journal of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education, and is published in association with the World Health Organization. It contains refereed original articles, reviews and debate articles on major themes and innovations from various sectors including education, health services, employment, government, the media, industry, environmental agencies and community networks. The journal provides a unique focal point for articles of high quality that describe not only theories and concepts, research projects and policy formulation, but also planned and spontaneous activities, organizational change, social and environmental development. The articles contained in this journal reflect the views of the authors, and do not necessarily coincide with those of the Editor, Editorial Board, Oxford University Press or the organization to which the authors are affiliated. Adaptation and use of the Health Promotion International logo for the cover design kindly granted by the World Health Organization.

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• By this author: Boutilier M. ;  Mason R. ;  Rootman I.

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