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Community‐based participatory research (CBPR) has been shown to improve aspects of health promotion initiatives. This case study examines the effects of a CBPR intervention on intermediate outcomes (changes in the community) related to preventing health disparities and chronic disease. We describe how the Kansas City‐Chronic Disease Coalition used CBPR methods to help bring about community changes to reduce risk for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes among African Americans and Hispanics in Kansas City, Missouri. Using an empirical case study design, communities and scientific partners documented and analyzed the contribution of community changes (new or modified programs, policies or practices) facilitated by the coalition in two racial/ethnic communities: African American and Hispanic. Follow‐up interviews suggest that the coalition did a better job of implementing a CBPR intervention in the African American community than in the Hispanic community. Challenges to implementing CBPR interventions in multiple and diverse ethnic communities are discussed.

The use of modern methods of construction (MMC) has been advocated as a way of addressing some of the criticisms of the construction industry made in the Latham and Egan reports. This paper seeks to examine the current position of accommodation that has been built using modern methods of construction (MMC) particularly, volumetric/modular construction.

A literature review is followed by a survey of student occupants of such accommodation in Nottingham.

The main finding was that students chose their accommodation because of its locality to the university and factors that relate to the construction type are not high priorities. The main concern of the residents in the student accommodation is intrusive noise, which may come from external unspecified sources that are not related to the residents in neighbouring rooms. A low level of dissatisfaction indicates that the majority of residents were satisfied living in MMC/Modular build accommodation.

Modular build accommodation, if built within the requirements of its residents, is a satisfactory form of construction for multi‐space accommodation that could be used for future multi‐occupational premises. Modern methods of construction could benefit the UK's construction industry.