What is community? An evidence-based definition for participatory public health

Increased emphasis on community collaboration indicates the need for consen sus regarding the definition of community within public health. This study examined whether members of diverse US communities described community in s imilar ways. To identify strategies to support community collaboration in HIV vaccine tr ials, qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 African Americans in Du rham, NC; 26 gay men in San Francisco, Calif; 25 injection drug users in Ph iladelphia, Pa; and 42 HIV vaccine researchers across the United States. Ve rbatim responses to the question "What does the word community mean to you? " were analyzed. Cluster analysis was used to identify similarities in the way community was described. A common definition of community emerged as a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, a nd engage in joint action in geographical locations or settings. The partic ipants differed in the emphasis they placed on particular elements of the d efinition. Community was defined similarly but experienced differently by p eople with diverse backgrounds. These results parallel similar social scien ce findings and confirm the viability of a common definition for participat ory public health. Health.