Strategic Collaborative Partnerships to Improve Immigrant Chinese Community Health: A Case Study

The present study used a qualitative case study method, supplemented with a brief survey measure, to explore how university-based, coordinated strategic partnerships contributed to the process of culturally adapting and implementing evidence-based health programs. These programs aimed to improve the well-being of low-income immigrant families traditionally underserved by health interventions. Our case study examined a university-initiated coordinating council that oversaw 3 separate evidence-based health prevention interventions designed to reduce childhood obesity, reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, and promote health and behavioral outcomes among low-income immigrant Chinese families. Each project used community-based participatory research (Israel, Schulz, Parker, & Becker, 1998) approach to culturally adapt and implement the interventions. We used content analysis to examine archival data (e.g., council meeting notes and transcripts and project progress reports) and interviews with 4 council members, supplemented with a brief survey of council effectiveness rated by the council members (N 19). We found that having a centrally coordinated council to oversee multiple community-based participatory research health programs appeared to add unique values to the success of each individual program, specifically by promoting a sense of shared learning around cultural adaptation specific to urban, low-income Chinese American families, and by identifying and collaborating to improve social determinants of community health.