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Immigrants as Research Partners: A Review of Immigrants in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)

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Abstract

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is uniquely suited to engage immigrants in all aspects of research, from research question development to data collection to interpretation and dissemination of results. An increasing number of research studies have utilized the methodology for exploring complex health issues for immigrants. In the current manuscript, we present a review of peer-reviewed articles in health-related research where CBPR was conducted in partnership with immigrants. We examined the role of immigrants in the CBPR process and how immigrant involvement improved/enhanced the research rigor. A total of 161 articles met the inclusion criteria. The results of this literature review enhance our understanding of how CBPR can be used in direct collaboration with immigrants and highlights the many potential benefits for both researchers and immigrant communities.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Joanie Dilbeck for assistance with locating and organizing articles for review.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, ML 2008, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Lisa M. Vaughn

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Cincinnati, 2600 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Farrah Jacquez

  3. Department of Educational Studies, University of Cincinnati, 2600 Clifton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Robin Lindquist-Grantz

  4. Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Allison Parsons

  5. Division of Emergency Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Katie Melink

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  1. Lisa M. Vaughn
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Correspondence to Lisa M. Vaughn.

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Lisa M. Vaughn, Farrah Jacquez, Robin Lindquist-Grantz, Allison Parsons, and Katie Melink declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Vaughn, L.M., Jacquez, F., Lindquist-Grantz, R. et al. Immigrants as Research Partners: A Review of Immigrants in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). J Immigrant Minority Health 19, 1457–1468 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-016-0474-3

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