Chapter 18 ENHANCING PRACTICE THROUGH COMMUNITY­ BASED PARTICIPATORY.. RESEARCH Araceli S. Maglaya INTRODUCTION Globally and locally, comnmn ity healtl1 nursing practice is faced with the ever increasing complexity of human behavior and human response related with cop int,. and adaptation, given the issues and challenges in addressing emerging and re-emerging diseases. Malaria, HIV/ AIDS and other major diseases are currently specified as United Nation Millennium Development priorities. Realities in nursing care and service support the need to generate new insights to address socio-behaviora l determinants tllat sustain disense prcvr1lencc, 11s a consequence of erratic therapy, passivity, apathy, hopelessness and hardiness of patients,111d thci1· families or inequities in health service access. These insights help nurses as catalysts of change to capture 'lived' e>..-peciences of client-partners as major stakeholders i. n the arena of family and communit y health development. The 'lived' experiences comprise the learning arena of both nurse­ practitioner-re searcher and community client-partner as co-researchers to understand how these experiences sustain disease preva1ence and determine, in pnrtne,· ship, what options can be explored to re-design adaptation realities for increased level of critical consciousne ss, level of control and choice over health, life and health c. Jre/ service decisions and actions. In the last two decades, nurse researcher s have explored the use of the participa tory approach (PA) and participatory action resenrch (PAR) or community-based participatory research (CBPR) in creating nev. r insights to communit-y health nursing practice for enhancing community empowerment potential while sustaining ethical principles, particularly relational ethics ( Austin and others, 2003) such as mutual respect, authentic engagement between nurse researcher and the community as co-researcher, acknowledgement of uncertain ly and possibility as inherent in human existence and attention to the environment ( to ensure respect for privacy). COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH Community-based participatory research is a process iri which researchers and co1T1mnnity participants as co-researchers systematically work together in t.-ycles of 'look-think-act' to explore concerns, issues or problems that impact upon or dfarupt people's lives (Kock & Kralik, 2006, p. 27). Collaboratively, they reflect on ways to change situations or build capacity. TI1e cyclical nature of the participatory action research promotes reflection {reflection-in-action, reflection-on-action and reflection for action) and reconstruction of experiences and stories that enhance people's lives, at an individual /fam Hy level, community level, or both. 432-