Citation

Lindquist-Grantz R, Abraczinskas M. Health Promot. Pract. 2018; ePub(ePub): 1524839918818831.

Affiliation

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Society for Public Health Education, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1524839918818831

PMID

30577698

Abstract

Youth participatory action research (YPAR) emphasizes positive youth development by engaging young people as co-researchers and change agents on complex issues to produce solutions that are relevant to youth. YPAR has primarily been used in classroom and youth organization settings, which means there are very few examples of its usage in other community-based settings or as a health intervention approach. Additionally, there is a need for further study of YPAR implementation processes and the effect on youth development and well-being outcomes. In this article, we highlight the innovative use of YPAR as a community-based health intervention through two case studies in which the adolescent health issues of physical activity and suicide were addressed. We describe the design of each YPAR health intervention and the studies that were conducted to link participatory research processes to youth development and health outcomes. Using the lessons learned from these YPAR interventions, we propose best practices for the design, implementation, and evaluation of YPAR as a health intervention strategy in a community setting.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescent; community-based; health intervention; outcomes; physical activity; positive youth development; suicide prevention; youth participatory action research