My chosen case study is a 2018 research paper published by Mena-Rivera & Quirós-Vega published in the Journal of Water & Health . The study is about Assessing the Sustainability of Drinking Water in Low-Income Regions.
In their study, Mena-Rivera & Quirós-Vega (2018) identified Vegas-Las Palmas as one of Costa Rica communities that endures challenging conditions. The residents get their waters of uncertain quantity and quality from diverse sources, including poor conditions wells, rainwater, and river water. The researchers allege that none of this water undergoes a special treatment that warrants human consumption. The authors went ahead to conduct a chemical, physical, and microbiological assessment of the well waters to identify some of the risks that inhabitants are exposed to. The scholars adopted a baseline study in the identified parcels through a semi-structured instrument that collected data regarding essential services, wells characteristics, community waste management, farming activities, and rainwater tapping. This resulting information is crucial and useful to the prevailing condition that affects water supply.
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It was a project meant to improve community well-being. Interestingly, the authors did not mention even a single word about engaging the community and collecting their input to guide the study and to consider their needs. The researchers identified a problem, went ahead to do their experiments, came up with conclusions, but never engaged the community in all of these. This study has identified the problem, documented the problem, and went back to their regular businesses, with the community still experiencing water challenges. CBPR could be an ideal approach to the water problem in Vegas-Las Palmas. By adopting a Community Based Participatory Research, the scholars could quickly help the problem made visible, legitimized, and made to get to the public agenda. Through the CBPR approach, the researchers could attract the community advocates' attention through legitimate claims and use the partnership to attract media attention and help promote these issues as long-standing yet long-ignored problems.
References
Draper, A. K., Hewitt, G., & Rifkin, S. (2010). Chasing the dragon: Developing indicators for the assessment of community participation in health programmes. Social Science & Medicine, 71(6), 1102–1109.
Mena-Rivera, L., & Quirós-Vega, J. (2018). Assessment of drinking water suitability in low income rural areas: A case study in Sixaola, Costa Rica. Journal of Water and Health , 16 (3), 403-413. Accessed 21 st Oct 2020 from https://iwaponline.com/jwh/article/16/3/403/39095/Assessment-of-drinking-water-suitability-in-low
Thein, K., Zaw, K. T., Teng, R., Liang, C., & Julliard, K. (2009). Health needs in Brooklyn’s Chinatown: A pilot assessment using rapid participatory appraisal. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 20(2), 378–394.
Wallerstein, N., Duran, B., Oetzel, J., & Minkler, M. (Eds.). (2018). Community-based participatory research for health: Advancing social and health equity (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
