The implementation of a participatory manuscript development process with Native American tribal awardees as part of the CDC Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative: Challenges and opportunities

• We provided tribal health practitioners training in data analysis and scientific writing to develop a scientific manuscript.
• We incorporated both Indigenous and academic evaluation methods in the trainings.
• We developed a participatory manuscript process.
• Further refinement of this process may lead to more community-developed manuscripts.
• The process advances translational science and could lead to improved health equity.

ObjectiveIn 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded 50 communities, including three tribal awardees, to implement environmental approaches to address obesity and smoking through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative. The tribes were among the selected awardees offered training support for analyzing, writing, and publishing their findings. This article describes the process of translating the workshops, guided by a participatory framework, for implementation with the tribes.MethodsNine participants from three tribes attended the workshops in Decatur, Georgia, in August and October of 2012: 1) a one-day pre-conference workshop focused on integrating both Indigenous and academic evaluation methods; 2) a 4 day data analysis workshop; and 3) a 5 day scientific writing workshop. Participants were provided with technical assistance following the workshops.ResultsParticipants viewed the workshops positively and have continued to develop their manuscripts. To date one tribal awardee has submitted their manuscript for publication.ConclusionThe participatory manuscript development process described here is the first of its kind outlining a pathway for tribal community health practitioners to translate and publish their work. Further development of this process could increase the number of community-developed manuscripts, thereby advancing the field of translational intervention science and leading to improved health equity.