A Paradigm of Community Research and Outreach

Much of the institute’s research is marked by respect for and inclusion of the communities in which it conducts its studies. The institute’s approach was recognized in a recent review of the IPR that described it as “a paradigm of community research and outreach, conducting school-based smoking prevention research programs, supporting a Hispanic tobacco control network and implementing interventions to enhance the quality of life among low income, multi-ethnic populations, among other activities.”

Many of IPR’s research projects are characterized by the use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including but not limited to focus groups, ethnographies, community forums and meetings with local organizations and community-based committees that serve to guide and inform the research projects. The object is not only to seek support and cooperation for the institute’s work but to work in a collaborative manner as equal research partners using a variety of methods.

This then allows for continuous feedback into the research and provides ample opportunities to receive suggestions from our research community partners on how to improve recruitment and retention, data gathering and the types of analyses most needed to respond to community needs. It also provides a vehicle for the dissemination of information which goes beyond academic circles, extending to audiences with decision- and policy-making powers in these respective communities.

As Professor Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati said: “Community groups participate in the life of the institute, fueling the research process with needs and ideas, and helping to communicate the most up-to-date research findings to others. We include grassroots-level community-based agencies, schools, key opinion leaders and multiethnic communities in every aspect of our community-based participatory research.”

The California Hispanic/Latino Tobacco Education Network »

Social Resources and Smoking Among Hispanic Youth »

Community Outreach and Education Core of the TTURC »

Cancer Information Service (CIS) »