Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the "photovoice" project by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center speaks volumes to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities related to diabetes.

Supported by a 2007 one-year Connecticut Health Foundation grant of $54.960, the project was designed to have 10 African-American residents of New Haven's Dixwell/Newhalville neighborhoods take photographs that:

Illustrate the effects these disparities have on African-Americans in the two neighborhoods
Create public awareness about these disparities
Generate public support to create actions that will reduce or eliminate these disparities

A methodology developed by Caroline Wang, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, photovoice blends grassroots photography and social action, to:

Enable individuals to record and reflect community strengths and problems
Promote dialogue about issues through group discussions and photographs
Engage policy-makers

One place photovoice has proven effective is Flint, Michigan, where it helped generate funding for violence prevention."Photovoice is especially well suited to building public will because the faces portrayed personalize the problem, which motivates people to action," notes Georgia Jennings, associate director of the center's community-based research.

The Yale-Griffin project trained and equipped 10 grassroots photographers. Three prominent guest photographers, including state Senator Toni Harp, a local alderman and the medical director of a local health clinic, participated as "photographers for a day."Other participants included a community advisory group with representatives from business, health care, city government and a social service agency.

Photos answered six questions, such as, "What is missing from our community that would help people prevent diabetes?"The project identified four key issues:

Fears about children's safety (e.g. providing after-school library programs)
Cost of healthy foods
Exercise facilities eliminated
Closed neighborhood physician and dentist offices

Selected photos and collected data then became the focus of public exhibits at facilities such as churches, a school and senior center, and New Haven City Hall."The exhibits were structured to engage visitors in a dialogue about disparities and encourage them to build a strong community voice for action on the proposed solutions," says Jennings.

Surveys of those attending the exhibits provided feedback to gauge the project's impact and to learn if the four issues identified were of major, minor or no concern to those attending.Findings from the project and surveys will be discussed with New Haven's mayor and presented to the board of aldermen.An electronic slide show of the exhibit will be distributed to key decision-makers who were unable to attend the exhibits and also will be placed on the research center's website.

Exhibits will continue after the grant period.The goal is to develop and implement solutions resulting from this community dialogue.

www.yalegriffinprc.org