Skip Navigation


The Gerontologist Advance Access first published online on June 2, 2009
This version published online on June 12, 2009
The Gerontologist, doi:10.1093/geront/gnp049
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
49/5/651    most recent
gnp049v2
gnp049v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Blair, T.
Right arrow Articles by Minkler, M.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Blair, T.
Right arrow Articles by Minkler, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Participatory Action Research With Older Adults: Key Principles in Practice

Thomas Blair, BA, MS (Cand.), MD (Cand.)2,3 and Meredith Minkler, DrPH, MPH1,4

2 Health and Medical Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
3 Joint Medical Program, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
4 Health and Social Behavior, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley

1 Address correspondence to Meredith Minkler, DrPH, MPH, Professor and Director, Health and Social Behavior, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360. E-mail: mink{at}berkeley.edu


  Abstract

Purpose: Although participatory action research (PAR) is increasingly viewed as an important complement to traditional investigator-driven research, relatively little PAR has taken place in which older adults have been prominent partners. This article provides a review of the literature on PAR in gerontology, highlighting key studies and their implications. Design and Methods: We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and ERIC for relevant articles, supplementing our results through the bibliographies of articles identified and consultation with colleagues. This search yielded 75 articles of potential relevance, of which we selected 13 (covering 10 studies) that best adhered to the roles of PAR in gerontology. Results: PAR projects with older adults have utilized a variety of research methodologies in a broad range of social contexts. Each of the 10 studies examined illustrates several core principles of PAR. Furthermore, while suffering from some methodological limitations, each also highlights value added in terms of research quality, elders’ skill building, and/or action outcomes. Implications: Involving older adults in PAR, while labor intensive and challenging, may offer promise as an underdeveloped resource for the field of social gerontology, as well as for elders themselves.

Keywords: Participatory action research, Elder researchers, Community-based participatory research, Qualitative methods, Health promotion, Survey research

Received September 12, 2008; Accepted December 4, 2008

Decision Editor: William J. McAuley, PhD

Updated to correct affiliation.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.