The 6-step community empowerment model was replicated in communities with different geographical, racial, and age backgrounds from the original application. Resident groups of Blue Ribbon Health Panels (BRHPs) in federally funded senior housing in Pennsylvania followed the 6 steps to identify community health issues, to develop strategies to address priority issues, and to implement the strategies in collaboration with partner agencies. The 6-step model served as an operationalization strategy of community empowerment by facilitating quick accomplishments of communities' desired outcomes, legitimizing and motivating BRHP efforts. Community capacities to actively participate and collaborate influenced the model's progress in this replication study, as did partner agencies' capacities to adhere to the community-based participatory and collaborative orientation of the project. Community capacity development and partnership facilitation would be important for a community empowerment project, as well as consistent and clear communication among everyone involved in the process.
Adams, A., Miller-Korth, N., & Brown, D. (2004). Learning to work together: Developing academic and community research partnerships. Wisconsin Medical Journal , 103(2), 15-19.
2.
Alexander, J.A., Comfort, M.E., Weiner, B.J., & Bogue, R.J. (2001). Leadership in collaborative community health partnerships . Non-profit Management & Leadership, 12, 159-175.
3.
Argueta, J., & Bangs, R. (2004). Disabilities in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh, PA: University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh.
4.
Baillie, L., Broughton, S., Bassett-Smith, J., Aason, W., Oostindie, M., Marino, B.A., et al. (2004). Community health, community involvement, and community empowerment: Too much to expect?Journal of Community Psychology, 32(2), 217-228.
5.
Bartholomew, L.K., Parcel, G.S., Kok, G., & Gottlieb, N.H. (2006). Planning health promotion programs: An Intervention Mapping approach (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
6.
Beeker, C., Guenther-Grey, C., & Raj, A. (1998). Community empowerment paradigm drift and the primary prevention of HIV/AIDS. Social Sciences & Medicine, 46(7), 831-842.
7.
Braun, K.L., Ichiho, H.M., Kuhaulua, R.L., Aitaoto, N.T., Tsark, J.U., Spegal, R., et al. (2003). Empowerment through community building: Diabetes today in the Pacific. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, November(Suppl.), S19-S25.
8.
Delbecq, A., Van de Ven, A., & Gustafson, D. (1986). Group techniques for program planning: A guide to nominal group and Delphi processes. Middleton, WI: Green Briar Press.
9.
Edgren, K.K., Parker, E.A., Israel, B.A., Lewis, T.C., Salinas, M.A., Robins, T.G., & Hill, Y.R. (2005). Community involvement in the conduct of a health education intervention and research project: Community Action Against Asthma . Health Promotion Practice, 6(3), 263-269.
10.
Edwards, R.W., Jumper-Thurman, P., Plested, B.A., Oetting, E.R., & Swanson, L. (2000). Community readiness: Research to practice. Journal of Community Psychology, 28(3), 291-307.
11.
Eisinger, A., & Senturia, K. (2001). Doing community-driven research: A description of Seattle partners for healthy communities. Journal of Urban Health, 78(3), 519-534.
12.
Fawcett, S.B., Paine-Andrews, A., Francisco, V.T., Schultz, J.A., Richter, K.P., Lewis, R.K., et al. (1995). Using empowerment theory in collaborative partnerships for community health and development. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23(5), 677-697.
13.
Gilmore, G.D., & Campbell, M.D. (2005). Group participation process: Nominal group. In Needs and capacity assessment strategies for health education and health promotion (pp. 88-97). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
14.
Goodman, R.M. (2000). Bridging the gap in effective program implementation: From concept to application. Journal of Community Psychology , 28(3), 309-321.
15.
Goodman, R.M., Smith, D.W., Dawson, L., & Steckler, A. (1991). Recruiting school districts into a dissemination study. Health Education Research, 6(3), 373-385.
16.
Goodman, R.M., Speers, M.A., McLeroy, K., Fawcett, S., Kegler, M., Parker, E., et al. (1998). Identifying and defining the dimensions of community capacity to provide a basis for measurement. Health Education and Behavior, 25(3), 258-278.
17.
Goodman, R.M., Yoo, S., & Jack, L.J. (2006). Applying comprehensive community-based approaches in diabetes prevention: Rationale, principles, and models. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 12(6), 545-555.
18.
Hawe, P. (1994). Capturing the meaning of "community" in community intervention evaluation: Some contributions from community psychology. Health Promotion International, 9, 27-31.
19.
Hodges, B.C., & Videto, D.M. (2005). Data collection strategies for needs assessments and evaluation. In B. C. Hodges & D. M. Videto (Eds.), Assessment and planning in health programs (pp. 113-139). Boston: Bartlett.
20.
Israel, B.A., Krieger, J., Vlahov, D., Ciske, S., Foley, M., Fortin, P., et al. (2006). Challenges and facilitating factors in sustaining community-based participatory research partnerships: Lessons learned from the Detroit, New York City, and Seattle Urban Research Centers. Journal of Urban Health, 83(6), 1022-1040.
21.
Lantz, P.M., Viruell-Fuentes, E., Israel, B.A., Softley, D., & Guzman, R. (2001). Can communities and academia work together on public health research? Evaluation results from a community-based participatory research partnership in Detroit. Journal of Urban Health, 78(3), 495-507.
22.
Laverack, G. (2003). Building capable communities: Experiences in a rural Fijian context. Health Promotion International, 18(2), 99-106. Laverack, G. (2006). Improving health outcomes through community empowerment: A review of the literature. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 24(1), 113-120.
23.
Laverack, G., & Labonte, R. (2000). A planning framework for community empowerment goals within health promotion. Health Policy and Planning , 15(3), 255-262.
24.
Laverack, G., & Wallerstein, N. (2001). Measuring community empowerment: A fresh look at organizational domains. Health Promotion International , 16(2), 179-185.
25.
Li, V.C., Shaoxian, W., Kunyi, W., Wentao, Z., Buchthal, O., Wong, G.C., et al. (2000). Capacity building to improve women's health in rural China. Social Science and Medicine, 52(2), 279-292.
26.
Metzger, M.E., Alexander, J.A., & Weiner, B.J. (2005). The effects of leadership and governance process on member participation in community coalitions. Health Education & Behavior, 32(4), 455-473.
27.
Musa, D., Seiler, J., Flora, P., Briem, C., Martiner, L., & Schulz, R. (2003). The state of aging and health in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh, PA: University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh.
28.
Naylor, P.J., Wharf-Higgins, J., Blair, L., Green, L., & O'Connor, B. (2002). Evaluating the participatory process in a community-based heart health project. Social Science & Medicine, 55(7), 1173-1187.
29.
Raczynski, J.M., Cornell, C.E., Stalker, V., Phillips, M., Digman, M., Pulley, L., & Leviton, L. (2001a). A multi-project, systems approach to developing community trust and building capacity. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 7(2), 10-20.
30.
Raczynski, J.M., Cornell, C.E., Stalker, V., Phillips, M., Digman, M., Pulley, L., & Leviton, L. (2001b). Developing community capacity and improving health in AfricanAmerican communities. American Journal of Medical Sciences, 322(5), 294-300.
31.
Rappaport, J. (1984). Studies in empowerment: Introduction to the issue . Prevention in Human Services, 3, 1-7.
32.
Ritchie, D., Parry, O., Gnich, W., & Platt, S. (2004). Issues of participation, ownership and empowerment in a community development programme: Tackling smoking in a low-income area in Scotland. Health Promotion International, 19(1), 51-59.
33.
Steuart, G. (1993). Social and behavioral change strategies. Health Education Quarterly, Suppl. 1, S113-S135.
34.
Stokols, D., Allen, J., & Bellingham, R.L. (1996). The social ecology of health promotion: Implications for research and practice. American Journal of Health Promotion, 10(4), 247-251.
35.
Wallerstein, N. (1992). Powerlessness, empowerment, and health: Implications for health promotion programs. American Journal of Health Promotion, 6, 197-205.
36.
Yoo, S., Weed, N.E., Lempa, M.L., Mbondo, M., Shada, R.E., & Goodman, R.M. (2004). Collaborative community empowerment: An illustration of a six-step process. Health Promotion Practice, 5(3), 256-265.
