Empowerment in Health Promotion of Marginalised Groups: The Use of Paulo Freire’s Theoretical Approach and Community-Based Participatory Research for Health Equity

Principles of Freire’s theoretical approach have been used for diverse disciplines, beyond education worldwide, including health sciences/health promotion. The use of critical pedagogy is acknowledged as an effective method to address health inequities of vulnerable and stigmatised groups and communities. This chapter presents five core values that research programmes of health promotion using a critically informed approach based in Freire’s work and community-based participatory research can use to improve social participation. This will contribute to the empowerment of people and communities and the adoption of a critical attitude for change. The principles of producing research to (1) Produce impact; (2) Listening to people and communities; (3) Co-create new knowledge; (4) Promote critical thinking and (5) Critical dialogue for action, reinforce the commitment to achieve meaningful understanding of health issues in a critical and significant way. This critical and dialogic approach applied in health promotion research allows the formation of a critical consciousness based in the research participant’s universe, leading them to question structures of domination, and social injustice. The benefit of using critical reflective approach goes beyond research participants and reaches to both researchers and health/education professionals who are equally transformed during the process.