Final Report: The Community Based HIV/AIDS Research Environmental Scan

Beginning in 2002, the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network (CAAN) conducted an environmental scan to inform the Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Community Based Research Capacity Building Initiative. The scan assessed the skill levels of CAAN member organizations, barriers to participation in community-based research (CBR), and their willingness to conduct their own HIV/AIDS research. A survey was developed (attached in Appendix A of this document; a detailed breakdown of its results are provided in Appendix B) and administered to 51 participants. The scan found that research priorities include prevention and education; cultural awareness; harm reduction; and barriers to service use. Key obstacles to doing CBR include lack of direct research experience within the organizationa; limited funding for CBR projects; and challenges of involving community members in projects. Research skills needing improvement included qualitative, quantitative, survey and ethnographic research methods; proposal writing; data analysis; and writing reports. This report gives recommendations based on the environmental scan, including the need to develop training modules, workshops and practical guides on research funding, proposal writing and the research process.