SanteRCom research team: Health and Community Research

Peer education relies on the involvement and mobilisation of group members to bring about change at the individual, group and/or societal level, and has become established with the HIV epidemic. Peer education is widely used in the field of community health, which has the same objective as public health, namely improving the health of populations, but through different processes. While health systems are generally based on public health as a technocratic process, community health is based on a participatory process. The fight against HIV has been marked by the recognition of the expertise of those affected. Social transformation has been made possible through the collective mobilisation of those affected around their own practices rather than through the isolated modification of individual behaviors. Despite major advances in the fight against HIV, social transformations are still needed to eliminate HIV transmission. The expertise and involvement of affected communities are therefore crucial and complementary to the contributions of academic researchers. Through peer education and community health, the aim is to empower the communities concerned. Empowerment can be defined as a process of social action through which individuals and groups act to gain greater control over their lives within a changing social and political environment. It manifests at different levels: 1) individual (i.e., individual agency); 2) organizational (i.e., the process by which an organization and the affected community take ownership of power to act collectively); and 3) community (i.e., the community taking charge of its environment, reflecting the political and social dimensions of empowerment).

Suggested reading:

Jodelet D. La Rencontre des Savoirs. Papers on Social Representations. 2013;22:9.1-9.20.

Ridde V. Réduire les inégalités sociales de santé : santé publique, santé communautaire ou promotion de la santé ? Promotion & Education. 2007 Jun;14(2):111–4.

Kippax S. A journey to HIV prevention research: From social psychology to social health via multidisciplinarity. J Health Psychol. 2018 Mar;23(3):442–56.

Wallerstein N, Bernstein E. Introduction to Community Empowerment, Participatory Education, and Health. Health Education Quarterly. 1994 Jun;21(2):141–8.

Zimmerman MA, Rappaport J. Citizen participation, perceived control, and psychological empowerment. American Journal of Community Psychology. 1988 Oct;16(5):725–50.

Prestby JE, Wandersman A, Florin P, Rich R, Chavis D. Benefits, costs, incentive management and participation in voluntary organizations: A means to understanding and promoting empowerment. American Journal of Community Psychology. 1990 Feb;18(1):117–49.

Schulz AJ, Israel BA, Zimmerman MA, Checkoway BN. Empowerment as a multi-level construct: perceived control at the individual, organizational and community levels. Health Educ Res. 1995;10(3):309–27.

SHP falls within the field of health psychology, which aims to identify the psychological factors that come into play in the field of health. It is a branch of health psychology that encourages thinking in terms of health processes by promoting a multi-methodological approach to studying health phenomena in an integrated way within social systems. SHP aims to be a comprehensive and contextualised approach to health issues, taking into account social factors that are not limited to the study of individual determinants of health and disease, but which are understood as the social system in which behaviour is rooted (values, norms, social representations) as well as the relationships that people have with others. SHP promotes the development of new empirical research methods that respect the individuals concerned, with the aim of fostering social change, taking into account the complexity of human experiences and recognising experiential knowledge. The PSS stands out within the humanities and social sciences for its position at the crossroads of different schools of thought in psychology and other disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. This position promotes interdisciplinary dialogue and can contribute to public health responses.

Suggested reading:

Koleck, M., Préau, M., Dany, L., & Faury, S. (2017). Les enjeux de la recherche en psychologie de la santé. Le Journal des psychologues, 351(9), 19. doi.org/10.3917/jdp.351.0019

Morin, M (2002). Naissance et développements de la psychologie de la santé. Sciences sociales et santé, 20(4), 129 140. doi.org/10.3406/sosan.2002.1571Morin, M, & Apostolidis, T. (2002). Contexte social et santé. In G-N. Fischer (Ed.). Traité de psychologie de la santé. Paris: Dunod.p488

Murray, M., & Poland, B. (2006). Health Psychology and Social Action. Journal of Health Psychology, 11(3), 379 384. doi:10.1177/1359105306063308

Marks, D. F. (2002). Freedom, Responsibility and Power : Contrasting Approaches to Health Psychology. Journal of Health Psychology, 7(1), 5 19. doi:10.1177/1359105302007001062

Prilleltensky, I., & Prilleltensky, O. (2003). Towards a Critical Health Psychology Practice. Journal of Health Psychology, 8(2), 197 210. doi:10.1177/1359105303008002659

Fox, D., Sloan, T., & Austin, S. (2008). Histoire et tendances de la psychologie critique en Amérique du Nord. Psychologie Française, 53(2), 157 171. doi.org/10.1016/j.psfr.2007.09.002

Community-based research relies on collaboration between researchers and community stakeholders in a balanced partnership, with each party contributing their own expertise. It is based on the needs of the groups concerned and aims to provide them with solutions.

Community-based research has a dual purpose: on the one hand, it has a scientific objective of contributing to the advancement of knowledge, particularly on minority groups that are vulnerable or difficult to reach; on the other hand, it has a social utility objective by strengthening the capacities of the communities involved and transforming research results into action.

Community-based research is based on several principles:

• Firstly, it is carried out with established communities. In other words, community-based research mobilizes and supports the strengths and resources of communities.
• Secondly, community-based research is conducted within the framework of a balanced partnership that encourages capacity building among partners.
• Thirdly, it addresses issues considered to be priority by the communities involved in the process, based on a holistic approach to health.
• Fourthly, its implementation involves back-and-forth communication between partners at all stages of the process and the sharing of research findings with all partners, who then disseminate these findings to the community themselves.

Finally, community-based research represents a long-term commitment.

Suggested reading:

Demange, E., Henry, E., & Préau, M. (2012). De la recherche en collaboration à la recherche communautaire. Un guide methodologiquees. Anrs.

Israel, B. A. (Éd.). (2005). Methods in community-based participatory research for health (1st ed). Jossey-Bass.