Health Research

Both of the editors and sixteen additional contributing authors have a variety of experiences. The 218 page book has two parts and ten chapters. Part 1, Issues, contains four chapters. Chapter 1 is Community-Based Research: An Introduction. It identifies that community-based research as scientific inquiry that involves human subjects, takes place in the community, has a prevention focus, is population-centered, involves a partnership with the community, takes a multidisciplinary approach while the participants who may have little motivation regarding the study continue their usual activities. It provides some history of public health, new paradigms, levels of community participation, community organizing, principles for working with communities and of community-based research, and cultural competence. Chapter 2, Assessing and Applying Community- Based Research, focuses of preventive services, specifically vaccinations. Chapter 3, Public Health Ethics and Community-Based Research is about African-American subjects and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Chapter 4, The View From the Community, addresses the Hispanic and Asian cultures and community assets such as churches, traditional networks, opinion leaders, community health workers, and community organizations. The fact that health professionals need to become more nontraditional in their approaches to communities and cultures where they are considered outsiders is noted.

Part 2 is about methods including surveys and descriptive studies. Analytical-observation studies include cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort. Experimental studies that allow randomized manipulation include clinical trials, community intervention trials, laboratory experiments, and evaluation studies. Cross sectional studies and related nonprobability and probability sampling (including simple random, systematic selection, stratified, cluster, and multistage) are discussed. Behavioral risk factors, qualitative methods including interviewing, focus groups, observations, case studies, document reviews and the related data analysis are discussed. The book is concluded with research related to AIDS prevention and cardiovascular risk-prevention. There are tables, figures, boxes, or appendix in some chapters. Chapters usually end with a summary, discussion, or conclusion and references. The book is indexed. This is a good book for teachers, students, and community members involved in community-based health research.

Rating: 5 / 5