Background Migrants are often more vulnerable to health issues compared to host populations, and particularly the women. Therefore, migrant women's health is important in promoting health equity in society. Participation and empowerment are central concepts in health promotion and in community-based participatory research aimed at enhancing health. The aim of this study was to identify conditions for health promotion together with women migrants through a community-based participatory research approach. Methods A community-based participatory research approach was applied in the programme Collaborative Innovations for Health Promotion in a socially disadvantaged area in Malmo, Sweden, where this study was conducted. Residents in the area were invited to participate in the research process on health promotion. Health promoters were recruited to the programme to encourage participation and a group of 21 migrant women participating in the programme were included in this study. A qualitative method was used for the data collection, namely, the story-dialogue method, where a process involving issue, reflections and actions guided the dialogues. The material was partly analysed together with the women, inspired by the second-level synthesis. Results Two main health issues, mental health and long-term pain, were reflected upon during the dialogues, and two main themes were elaborated in the process of analysis: Prioritising spare time to promote mental health and Collaboration to address healthcare dissatisfaction related to long-term pain. The women shared that they wanted to learn more about the healthcare system, and how to complain about it, and they also saw the togetherness as a strategy along the way. A decision was made to start a health circle in the community to continue collaboration on health promotion. Conclusions The community-based participatory research approach and the story dialogues constituted an essential foundation for the empowerment process. The health circle provides a forum for further work on conditions for health promotion, as a tool to support migrant women's health.

Introduction: Social determinants of health impact health, and migrants are exposed to an inequitable distribution of resources that may impact their health negatively, leading to health inequality and social injustice. Migrant women are difficult to engage in health-promotional activities because of language barriers, socioeconomic circumstances, and other social determinants. Based on the framework of Paulo Freire, a community health promotion program was established in a community-academic partnership with a community-based participatory research approach.

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe how a collaborative women's health initiative contributed to migrant women's engagement in health promotion activities.

Materials and methods: This study was part of a larger program, carried out in a disadvantaged city area in Sweden. It had a qualitative design with a participatory approach, following up on actions taken to promote health. Health-promotional activities were developed in collaboration with a women's health group, facilitated by a lay health promoter. The study population was formed by 17 mainly Middle Eastern migrant women. Data was collected using the story-dialog method and the material was analyzed using thematic analysis.

Result: Three important contributors to engagement in health promotion were identified at an early stage of the analysis process, namely, the group forming a social network, the local facilitator from the community, and the use of social places close to home. Later in the analysis process, a connection was made between these contributors and the rationale behind their importance, that is, how they motivated and supported the women and how the dialog was conducted. This therefore became the designated themes and were connected to all contributors, forming three main themes and nine sub-themes.

Conclusion: The key implication was that the women made use of their health knowledge and put it into practice. Thus, a progression from functional health literacy to a level of critical health literacy may be said to have occurred.

Introduction: Participation is one of the core elements of health promotion, which means that approaches and methods should focus on involvement. The process of involving women with a migration background in health promotion needs to be further explored. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the development process of a type 2 diabetes health-promotive community-based participatory research intervention among Middle Eastern women with a migration background, living in Sweden. Materials and methods: This study was performed within the context of a community-based participatory research program in Sweden. The design of this study followed the development process of a community-based participatory research conceptual model, including three of the original four dimensions, that is, the context, the partnership process, and the intervention and research dimension. Appropriate methods for data collection were used in the various dimensions. Participants from the community, active in the program, conducted dialogue cafés, together with the core partners of the program, to inventory existing needs as well as what actions were needed for promoting health and thereby prevent type 2 diabetes. Results: The two dialogue cafes resulted in one long term and three short term goals. The third short-term goal—create health circles around food and nutrition was decided to be in focus for this study together with cooperation with the local health care center. The partnership process made it possible to involve relevant collaborators, which resulted in a jointly developed nurse-led educational intervention. Participants and stakeholders were also involved in the process of modifying and elaborating evaluation tools appropriate for the intervention. Discussion/conclusions: The community-based participatory research approach enables the acknowledgement and use of the various kinds of knowledge of all stakeholders, including the community members. In this study, the community members’ knowledge was obtained through participation and dialogue, aimed at balancing power between stakeholders. This approach, that is, developing a community-based participatory research intervention, offers a possibility for the primary health care to engage with the community members and for other stakeholders to work in a health-promotive way.