Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-4-2024
Abstract
Methods: Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an effective methodology for translating research findings from academia to community interventions. The Bench to Community Initiative (BCI), a CBPR program, builds on prior research to engage stakeholders across multiple disciplines with the goal of disseminating interventions to reduce breast cancer disparities and improve quality of life of Black communities.
The BCI program was established to understand sociocultural determinants of personal care product use, evaluate the biological impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals, and develop community interventions. The three pillars of the program include research, outreach and engagement as well as advocacy activities. The research pillar of the BCI includes development of multidisciplinary partnerships to understand the sociocultural and biological determinants of harmful chemical (e.g., endocrine disrupting chemicals) exposures from personal care products and to implement community interventions. The outreach and engagement pillar includes education and translation of research into behavioral practice. The research conducted through the initiative provides the foundation for advocacy engagement with applicable community-based organizations. Essential to the mission of the BCI is the participation of community members and trainees from underrepresented backgrounds who are affected by breast cancer disparities.
Results: Two behavioral interventions will be developed building on prior research on environmental exposures with the focus on personal care products including findings from the BCI. In person and virtual education activities include tabling at community events with do-it-yourself product demonstrations, Salon Conversations—a virtual platform used to bring awareness, education, and pilot behavior change interventions, biennial symposiums, and social media engagement. BCI’s community advisory board members support activities across the three pillars, while trainees participate in personal and professional activities that enhance their skills in research translation.
Discussion: This paper highlights the three pillars of the BCI, lessons learned, testimonies from community advisory board members and trainees on the impact of the initiative, as well as BCI’s mission driven approaches to achieving health equity.
Recommended Citation
Tapia JL, Lopez A, Turner DB, Fairley T, Tomlin-Harris T, Hawkins M, Holbert PR, Treviño LS, Teteh-Brooks DK (2024) The bench to community initiative: community-based participatory research model for translating research discoveries into community solutions. Front Public Health 12:1394069. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1394069.
Peer Reviewed
1
Copyright
The authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Community-Based Research Commons, Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Health Services Research Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Medical Humanities Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Oncology Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Women's Health Commons
Comments
This article was originally published in Frontiers in Public Health, volume 12, in 2024. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1394069