By taking this approach, not only will diabetes research be more ethical in its construction, but it will also help break down community barriers that create resistance and fear towards the health care systems, provide care to the economically disadvantaged, and thus act as a force for social change and good.
The example of diabetes treatment and research is an excellent example of research that is vital and important to a community, pertains to cultural acts and rituals like food are affected by social circumstances like the availability to exercise, and shows that a participatory approach is not merely theoretical but realistic in the field. Park's theoretical endorsement of research as a co-creative act with a potential to create social justice is not limited to health care education, but religious education as well. Elizabeth Conde-Frazier discusses how the participatory approach can bridge cultural differences even in the intractable field of religious dialogue. "Kushnud Azariah, the first ordained woman in Pakistan and a pioneer of a variety of endeavors in her country, was moved to grapple with the problem of religious intolerance in the curriculum of the schools. Her approach was to create spaces for the dialogue among school administrators, teachers, students, and parents who are Muslim, Hindu, and Christian," when she was attempting to create a more effective curriculum to address academic and social concerns (Conde-Frazier, 2006: 1).
In Pakistan, a culturally sensitive participatory approach was necessary, because many women were not "used to speaking in public.... [or] not used to articulating...
Dialogue acted as an education to help the community to become more articulate about its concerns, provided a forum, and generated problem-solving solutions to the research questions embarked upon by this educator
Participatory research may not be appropriate to all types of study, where a large cross-section of a population is required, or a large amount of data is required with controls, such as during a new drug trial. But to test the efficacy, for example, of a new antidepressant combined with therapy amongst a specific population group, such as Hispanic women, participatory research may be preferred. Also, it can even act as a way to extend health care and treatment to the disadvantaged and even act as a method of education and outreach.
Works Cited
Conde-Frazier, Elizabeth. (Summer 2006). "Participatory Action Research: Practical
Theology for Social Justice." Religious Education.. Retrieved 24 Feb 2007 a t http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3783/is_200607/ai_n17187967
Park, P. (1993). "What is participatory research? A theoretical and methodological perspective." In P. Park, M. Brydon-Miller, B. Hall and T. Jackson (Eds.). Voices of change (pp. 1-19). Westport. Conn: Bergin & Garvey.
The Role of Community-Based Participatory Research: Creating Partnerships, Improving
Health." (Jun 2003). Authored by AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. Retrieved 24 Feb 2007. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/cbprrole.htm
