Assessment/evaluation. Using participatory action research to build healthy communities

The author contends that community-based Participatory Action Research (PAR) is ideally suited for use in Healthy Communities projects. The article begins by defining PAR and its principles and characteristics, then discusses the philosophical and methodological compatibility of PAR and Healthy Communities. After highlighting the challenges of expanding the Healthy Communities accent on participation to include PAR, the article describes the experiences of two Healthy Communities projects in the US that have successfully used PAR.