Diverse ethno-cultural groups and the use of participatory research

Global migration is a salient feature of the 21st century, and such migration will likely only increase. Motives for the movement of populations are often categorized in a trilogy of words beginning with 'd': (a) democracy- the impetus to flee transgressions of human rights, violations of civil liberties, or the terrors of war; (b) development - the desire to relocate to higher income nation-states for economic and quality-of- life reasons; and (c) disaster - the need to escape natural calamities that sometimes befall nation-states. Other contributing motivations include the unification of families and more complex factors related to the legacy of colonialism. The top immigrant-receiving nation-states globally are the United States, the Russian Federation and Germany (Ratha, Mohapatra & Silwal, 2011; United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2013), although substantial movement also occurs to other major European nations, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and Australia. Immigrant populations are a heterogeneous group that can include skilled workers, refugees, foreign students and undocumented migrants. Individual ethno-cultural groups may include not only first-generation migrants but also those who are still citizens of the nation-state in question. Regardless of status, many immigrant communities are perceived to be vulnerable for a myriad of reasons, including pre-migration history, limited language skills or minority status, and these vulnerabilities may result in the compromised health status of immigrants, and limitations to their navigation and use of health services (Higginbottom et al. , 2013c; Higginbottom, Hadziabdic,Yohani & Paton, 2014a). We aim to introduce researchers to the inclusion of diverse ethno-cultural groups in participatory research, an endeavour that requires a unique repertoire of qualitative research skills. Particular attention must be paid to (a) building the credibility of the researchers and the trust and engagement of them within the communities; (b) using culturally sensitive research skills; (c) incorporating interpreters and translators in the research (ideally via bi-cultural researchers); and (d) developing specific knowledge translation strategies.