Background: Adolescent females are at high risk for health disparities. An approach to minimizing health disparities involves facilitating changes in the environment within the community. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an important method of producing community change.
Objectives: The objectives were for adolescent females to learn the CBPR process, implement a community health change project, and build capacity by engaging community agencies.
Methods: After conducting an assessment of community problems, the adolescents formed a coalition of community partners and implemented a Lead Poisoning Awareness Fair and a "lock-in" to educate about child maltreatment. A pre- and post-test research design was used.
Results: The community changes that resulted were policy change for routine lead testing, a DVD about child maltreatment, and care packages for adolescent mothers. Modest increases in knowledge about lead poisoning and child maltreatment occurred.
Conclusion: Adolescent females were successful in using CBPR to produce positive community changes.