MCC::Programs::Research::Community Health Workers Effectiveness


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Community Health Workers Effectiveness

Community health workers (CHWs) are known by various titles - family advocates, paraprofessionals, lay health advisors, outreach workers, promadores. The definition common to all of the job titles is neighborhood peer without master-level training.

Community health workers (CHWs) have worked successfully with parents to increase immunization coverage and primary care. Rodewald et al (1999) found that CHWs providing immunization tracking and outreach increased immunization rates, decreased immunization delays and increased the number of well baby visits.

Crivelli-Kovach, Becker, and Worley (2004) evaluated the impact of a home visiting program on clients’ perceived level of empowerment. Results showed that the MOMobile program significantly increased clients’ self-sufficiency, enhanced clients’ ability to set goals, and strengthened clients’ decision-making skills.

In a randomized clinical trial with Latina women, Navarro et al (1998) found CHWs to be effective in increasing the numbers having a mammogram and reporting performance of breast self-exams.

Cooley and Unger found that support provided by CHWs in the form of emotional encouragement, advice, and financial assistance led to decreased aggressive behaviors in adolescent mothers (cited in Prater, 1995).

Gardner et al (2003) found that an early CHW intervention with low birthweight term infants addressing maternal-child interaction improved infant problem solving, cooperativeness, and mood.

An evaluation of a smoking cessation program for Latinos (Woodruff, 2002) demonstrated that CHWs improved abstinence rates in the short term.

Kim et al (2004) found that classes on nutrition, physical activity, and maintaining smoke-free environments taught by CHWs showed significant increases in lifestyle behavior change.

The national evaluation of the Early Head Start program (2001), which utilizes CHWs, found that two-year old EHS children performed better on a range of measures of cognitive, language and social-emotional development than the control group.

References

Commissioner's Office of Research and Evaluation and the Head Start Bureau. (2001). Building their futures: How Early Head Start programs are enhancing the lives of infants and toddlers in low-income families, Summary Report. Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services.

Crivelli Kovach A, Becker J, & Worley H. (2004). The impact of community health workers on the self-determination, self-sufficiency, and decision-making ability of low income women and mothers of young children. Journal of Community Psychology 32(3), 343-356.

Kim S, Koniak-Griffin D, Flaskerud JH, Guarnero PA. (2004). The impact of lay health advisors on cardiovascular health promotion: Using a community-based participatory approach. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing 19(3):192-199.

Navarro A, Senn K, McNicholas L, Kaplan R, Roee B, & Campo M. (1998). Por La Vida model enhances use of cancer screening tests among Latinas. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 15(1), 32-41.

Prater, L.P. (1995). Never married/biological ten mother headed household. Marriage and Family Review 20(3/4), 305-324.

Rodewald, L.E. MD., Szilagyi, P.G., MD., Humiston, S.G., MD., Barth, R., Kraus, R. & Raubertas, R.F. (1999). A randomized study of tracking with outreach and provider prompting to improve immunization coverage and primary care. Pediatrics. 1999:103:31-38.

Woodruff SI, Talavera GA, & Elder JP. (2002). Evaluation of a culturally appropriate smoking cessation intervention for Latinos. Tobacco Control, 11(4):361-367.

Research