A Community-Based Participatory Approach in Applying the Sociocultural Resilience Model in U.S–Mexico Border Communities

Abstract: Background: Behavioral models play a key role in identifying pathways to better health and provide a foundation for health promotion interventions. However, behavioral models based in epidemiological research may be limited in relevance and utility in practice. Objectives: We describe a participatory approach within a community-based participatory research partnership for integrating epidemiological and community perspectives into the application of the sociocultural resilience model (SRM). The SRM posits that cultural processes have a symbiotic relationship with health-promoting social processes, which contribute to the health advantages among Mexicanorigin and other Latinx populations. Methods: Community action board members engaged with academic partners to interpret and apply the SRM to a community-clinical linkages intervention implemented in the context of three U.S.–Mexico border communities. In a two-day workshop, partners engaged in a series of iterative discussions to reach common definitions and measures for SRM constructs. Results: Partners described daily cultural processes as the food they eat, how they communicate, and a collectivist approach to getting things done. For intervention activities, the partners opted for intergenerational storytelling, sharing of food, and artistic forms of expression. Partners included measures of cultural nuances such as border identity and the complexities that often arise from navigating bicultural norms. Conclusions: Collaborative approaches within community-based participatory research partnerships can facilitate the adaptation and measurement of conceptual health behavior models in community practice.