Adapting to Context in Community‐Based Participatory Research: “Participatory Starting Points” in a Chinese Immigrant Worker Community

Abstract

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is increasingly being used to better understand and improve the health of diverse communities. A key strength of this research orientation is its adaptability to community contexts and characteristics. To date, however, few studies explicitly discuss adaptations made to CBPR principles and processes in response to community context and partners' needs. Using data from our CBPR study, the San Francisco Chinatown Restaurant Worker Health and Safety Project, and drawing from literature on immigrant political incorporation, we examine the links between the contexts of the Chinese immigrant worker community, adaptations made by our collaborative, and study outcomes. In particular, we explore the concepts of contexts of reception and participatory starting points, which may be especially relevant for partnerships with immigrant communities whose members have historically had lower rates of civic and political participation in the US. We discuss contextual findings such as worker partner accounts of language barriers, economic and social marginalization, and civic skills and participation, as well as subsequent adaptations made by the partnership. We also describe the relative effectiveness of these adaptations in yielding equitable participation and building partners' capacity. We conclude by sharing lessons learned and their implications for CBPR and partnerships with immigrant communities more broadly.

Studying and Addressing Urban Immigrant Restaurant Worker Health and Safety in San Francisco’s Chinatown District: A CBPR Case Study

“…26 The partnership evaluation consisted of observations, interviews, and surveys with study partners. 27 Study protocols and data collection instruments were approved by UC Berkeley's Institutional Review Board.…”

“…Although a detailed presentation of the study findings is beyond the scope of this paper and is available elsewhere, 3,14,[25][26][27] we highlight here those of most relevance to workers, particularly in relation to their primary concerns, wage theft, and other basic worker rights violations. Survey results (n0405) indicated that almost 60 % of participants had experienced wage theft in at least one of its forms.…”

“…These experiences contributed to the health department's examination of internal practices and the subsequent exploration of withholding health permits to restaurants found to be in violation of minimum wage laws and requiring verification of workers' compensation insurance when issuing business operating licenses. 29 University partners led other publication efforts, 14,25,27,30 and all partners presented on the project at local, national, and international professional and community meetings. It was, however, the community partners-CPA and the worker partners-who led the dissemination of survey and other study findings to the wider community and public and used the findings in support of the central action component of the study.…”

“…Establishing trust between partnership members included early and candid discussions of the various partner groups' excitement and concerns about working together. 32 the development and adaptation of active partnership subcommittees to facilitate equitable partnership 27 and open discussions facilitated by trusted bridging partners about the advantages and challenges of conducting rigorous scientific research to advance community change goals. 25 Trust building between community partners and the broader community when conducting the survey was essential due to the vulnerability of workers and the sensitive nature of the research questions, some of which required participants to reveal substandard conditions and poor treatment on the job.…”

“…A major outcome of the Chinatown study was the individual, organizational, and community capacity built through the training and active engagement of two-dozen immigrant restaurant workers in the study and action components of the work. 25,27 Meetings and trainings conducted in Chinese by CPA staff and the project coordinator, with participation of university and SFDPH partners, spoke to workers' life experiences and connected the study to their vision of a better future for themselves and their children. These sessions enabled co-learning between all partners, with worker partners acquiring skills in data interpretation and providing other partners with many insights into the data that were not originally apparent.…”