Document Type
Article
Subject Area(s)
Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Abstract
Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is a mechanism to improve environmental quality in communities primarily inhabited by minorities or low income families. A collaborative partnership between the University at Buffalo and the Toxic Waste Lupus Coalition was formed to investigate the high prevalence of lupus in the area and whether cases of disease were linked to chemicals found at a nearby New York State Superfund site in East Buffalo. The purpose of the study was to use CBPR practices to educate impacted residents and enable their participation in efforts to get a nearby contaminated waste site remediated. Community members were active participants in the development of the plan to clean up the toxic site. These methods can be used to better engage the community in research and involve them in actions taken to improve their neighborhood.
Publication Info
Published in Environmental Justice, ed. Sylvia Hood Washington, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2008, pages 87-92.
Rights
This is a copy of an article published in Environmental Justice © 2008 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.; Environmental Justice is available online at: http://online.liebertpub.com.
Terrell, J.A., Williams, E.M., Murekeyisoni, C.M., Watkins, R. & Tumiel-Berhalter, L. (2008). The Community-Driven Approach to Environmental Exposures: How a Community-Based Participatory Research Program Analyzing Impacts of Environmental Exposure on Lupus Led to a Toxic Site Cleanup. Environmental Justice, 1(2), 87-92. DOI: 10.1089/env.2008.0517