# Co-production of informal settlement health: a community based participatory research program for building healthy communities in urban informal settlements of Salvador, Brazil

## TL;DR

This paper describes a community-based program in Brazilian slums to improve health and sustainability through local collaboration and participatory research.

## Contribution

The study introduces a novel interdisciplinary approach combining participatory research and popular health education to empower marginalized urban communities.

## Key findings

- Thirteen interventions were developed targeting citizenship rights, social cohesion, and environmental restoration.
- The program fostered inter-sectoral partnerships and improved environmental conditions in urban slums.
- Community trust was strengthened, but long-term impacts on social health determinants require further evaluation.

## Abstract

More than 15% of Brazil's urban population lives in slums characterized by limited access to essential urban services, heightened vulnerability to infectious pathogens and environmental hazards, and deprivation of citizenship rights. These conditions exacerbate social inequality, perpetuate cycles of poverty, and fuel violence, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable interventions.

Following a social justice framework, we developed a community development program rooted in participatory research methods and popular health education to foster collaboration between university researchers and communities. The aim was to identify priorities and co-create locally driven, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions. This article describes our ongoing project in three prominent urban slums of Salvador, Brazil (Alto do Cabrito, Pau da Lima and Marechal Rondon), detailing the methodologies employed, activities initiated, and interventions developed.

We conducted ethnographic, eco-epidemiological, and collaborative mapping surveys to contextualize diverse health and well-being challenges. Furthermore, we organized consultative and socialization events with dynamic community groups and identified local priorities, leading to the design of thirteen interventions targeting citizenship rights, social cohesion, environmental restoration, waste management, and unemployment.

Here, we described how our interdisciplinary approach leveraged social capital and fostered inter-sectoral partnerships to empower marginalized urban communities towards addressing their health and environmental challenges through sustainable, locally tailored solutions. While the program has strengthened community trust, facilitated partnerships, and achieved notable environmental improvements, further evaluation is needed to assess the long-term impacts of these interventions on broader social health determinants.