Authors

  1. Brandt, Heather M. PhD, CHES
  2. Freedman, Darcy A. PhD, MPH
  3. Friedman, Daniela B. PhD
  4. Choi, Seul Ki MPH
  5. Seel, Jessica S. MPH, BA
  6. Guest, M. Aaron MPH, MSW
  7. Khang, Leepao PhD

Abstract

Documentary filmmaking approaches incorporating community engagement and awareness raising strategies may be a promising approach to evaluate community-based participatory research. The study purpose was 2-fold: (1) to evaluate a documentary film featuring the formation and implementation of a farmers' market and (2) to assess whether the film affected awareness regarding food access issues in a food-desert community with high rates of obesity. The coalition model of filmmaking, a model consistent with a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, and personal stories, community profiles, and expert interviews were used to develop a documentary film (Planting Healthy Roots). The evaluation demonstrated high levels of approval and satisfaction with the film and CBPR essence of the film. The documentary film aligned with a CBPR approach to document, evaluate, and disseminate research processes and outcomes.