A Call to Engage Youth in Health Research

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is characterized by its collaborative efforts between professional researchers and lay community members to design, implement, and iteratively evaluate interventions. This approach creates knowledge and improves practice in ways that reflect the collective wisdom and expertise of all involved stakeholders. It represents a significant departure from conventional "top down" methods that define "collaboration" as professionals working with each other-but not with patients and families. It is our position, however, that these exciting developments are only most visible in adult medicine. We believe that it is important to engage youth in health-related CBPR for three primary reasons which are provided in this article. Examples of youth-engagement in health research are also provided. It is important that we do not leave our youth on the sidelines as we advance health care research. During this critical time in health care, we must endeavor to engage our youth as active stakeholders. As we use methods that bridge our professional expertise with teens' lived experience and wisdom, we can create sustainable interventions that are effective in preventing or mitigating the conditions that weigh most heavily on us all. (PsycINFO Database Record