In our first outing as issue editors for Family &Community Health, we have been astounded by the number, depth, and variety of community-based participatory research (CBPR) programs being conducted in the United States and internationally. CBPR is broadly represented in this issue as research that has its roots in the community and has arisen from issues pertinent to the community. We have chosen articles in which CBPR distinctively engages researchers and community collaborators as equal partners in all facets of research projects.1

CBPR methodology can be used with all populations, but is especially relevant to vulnerable populations, whose vulnerability may be conferred by income status, historical and/or current discrimination, language barriers, educational opportunities and achievement, gender, cultural background, or lifestyle preferences. CBPR is particularly appropriate for these groups because of its emphasis on acknowledging community ownership, equal partnership in the research process, and ethical standards of research conduct. As owners of their communities, community members best know what research is pertinent for their residents and settings. In this issue, several projects serve as models of how to avoid exploitation of vulnerable populations through inclusion of the community in every step of research.

Several articles exemplify community ownership. For example, Cummins and colleagues describe how the Apsaalooke (Crow) tribal members of Montana initiated collaboration among local, tribal, and academic partners to address water contamination and population exposure on tribal lands. Peercy and colleagues describe how the Community Readiness Model guides assessment of key community concerns. After an assessment of the Choctaw Nation members' interest in cardiovascular disease, the authors realized that the community was interested in the effects of methamphetamine usage on cardiovascular disease and developed and presented an educational program featuring this content to more than 20 000 community members.

The articles vary by methodology as well. Kelly and colleagues employ a traditional randomized controlled trial to determine the outcomes of a culturally specific violence prevention intervention for elementary school students and their families in a largely Mexican American community. Haque and Rosas integrate photovoice and concept mapping in their study of immigrants' perceptions of their neighborhoods to create and interpret a conceptual framework illustrating the residents' priorities for action. Keyser and colleagues use CBPR approaches with Pennsylvanian maternal and child health stakeholders to redesign local systems of care for women and children, illustrating CBPR use as a program planning and evaluation model as well as research methodology. Capacity building through CBPR is portrayed by Downey and colleagues' description of strategies and processes used in rural Lower Mississippi Delta counties to address nutrition-related chronic diseases.

Imaginative approaches to CBPR are also exemplified. For example, Gray and colleagues describe how inclusion of creative expression, such as Native American storytelling and other traditional arts, can result in "an atmosphere of delight" (p. 186), which enhances community learning about health promotion and facilitates better understanding among community partners. McGinnis and colleagues explain their use of a community health development model to identify community health issues, such as child overweight, and to enhance CBPR approaches to community-identified issues through helping community partners receive basic research training.

We hope these articles will provide future direction and inspiration to CBPR practitioners and their communities, as well as to other healthcare providers seeking ways to advance the health of vulnerable populations. We especially want to thank our national panel of reviewers whose rigorous critiques and comments assisted us in choosing these articles for publication from the many excellent manuscripts submitted, and Leigh Beshears, our invaluable support staff.

Elnora (Nonie) P. Mendias, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, Issue Editor

Associate Professor, Jesse and Alicia Dunn Professor of Nursing; Distinguished Teaching Professor, Marie Hall Scholar, The University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing, Galveston, Texas

Elizabeth Reifsnider, PhD, RN, WHNP, PHCNS-BC, Issue Editor

Constance Brewer Koomey Professor of Nursing; Associate Dean for Research, University of Texas Medical Branch School of Nursing, Galveston, Texas

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