Promoting Community-Based Participatory Research Methods in an American Indian Community: Building Trust, Sustaining Relationships, and Moving Forward

A safe, sustainable water source is an essential element of any healthy community.  For over three decades an American Indian Tribe in the Midwest has had limited success in achieving water security for their community.  Water quality concerns coupled with climate change and recent droughts in the region have further exposed the Tribe’s vulnerabilities to securing a safe and sustainable water source.  This study used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) method known as photovoice.  Photovoice offered Tribal members an opportunity to critically reflect on their experiences and perceptions of water and its relationship to the health and well-being of their community. Photovoice reflects key CBPR principles that emphasize empowerment, individual and community strengths, co-learning, community capacity building, and balancing research with action.  The purpose of this session is to highlight practical CBPR experiences and share approaches used to recruit and retain American Indian participants in a CBPR study, as well as approaches used to engage Tribal communities in collaborative research.  Best practices and lessons learned will also be discussed.