‘Research is like English as a second dialect’: community members’ perspectives of promising practices for physical activity-focused community-based participatory research

ABSTRACT Participatory approaches, such as community-based participatory research (CBPR), have become more common in the physical activity literature over the last two decades. As well, there has been an increase in the number of published studies that have documented the use of such approaches when engaging in research with Indigenous peoples. However, published studies tend to focus on the results of research, and the processes of how to successfully engage in such research are rarely described. Drawing upon the expertise of Indigenous community members, the purpose of this study was to identify promising practices for engaging in physical activity-focused CBPR in northern Indigenous communities in Canada. Eight community members who were part of a larger CBPR project engaged in one-on-one semi-structured interviews that were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim; content analysis was employed to analyse transcripts. The perspectives of community members are represented by five themes: (a) foundational understanding of colonialism, (b) ‘research is like English as a second dialect’, (c) build purposeful relationships, (d) efficiency with local leadership, and (e) need for consistency. Community members shared examples of shortcomings and success stories related to the ways in which they have been involved in research, and subsequently highlighted specific suggestions and promising practices for physical activity-focused CBPR. The experiences of community members must be heard and understood to ensure CBPR projects are respectful and relevant.