Can public health researchers and agencies reconcile the push from fundingbodies and the pull from communities?

Responding to growing impatience with the limited application of research f indings to health practices and policies, both funding bodies and communiti es are demanding that research show greater sensitivity to communities' per ceptions, needs, and unique circumstances. One way to assure this is to emp loy participatory research-to engage communities at least in formulating re search questions and interpreting and applying research findings and possib ly also in selecting methods and analyzing data. "Community" should be interpreted broadly as all who will be affected by th e research results, including lay residents of a local area, practitioners, service agencies, and policymakers. Participatory research should not be r equired of every project, but when results are to be used for, in, and by c ommunities, those communities should collaborate not only in applying findi ngs but also in determining the ways in which the findings are produced and interpreted.