Does a Community Health Worker Program Work among Latino Communities?

Medina, Amanda Y., Does a Community Health Worker Program Work among Latino Communities? Master of Public Health (Community Health), Dec 2003, 77 pp., 8 tables, 5 illustrations, bibliography, 70 titles. The study’s goal was to investigate if and what makes a community health worker (CHW) education program work among Latino participants. First, the author developed a conceptual model to explain why a CHW program might effectively reach Latino communities. Second, the study tested the effectiveness of a CHW program, Salud Para Su Corazon of North Texas, by examining participants’ self-reported healthy behaviors from before and immediately after education. Third, the study examined potential CHW program components that predicted healthy behavior scores. These findings showed that pledging to the program and positive program evaluations predicted participants’ scores. Past research and theories are in congruent with all these findings.