A community health worker intervention strategy to raise awareness of and to promote screening for cardiovascular disease and diabetes among African American and Latina women: Evaluation results and Implications for community health planning

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Sharon Sand¹, Amy J. Schulz, PhD¹, Idethia Shevon Harvey, DrPH¹, Cindy Gamboa², Carolyn Jennings³, and Yolanda Hill, MSW². (1) Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, 109 S Observatory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, 734-763-0017, slsand@umich.edu, (2) Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion, 1151 Taylor, Room 649, Detroit, MI 48202, (3) Southeast Michigan Diabetes Outreach Network, 1900 E. Jefferson, Suite 222, Detroit, MI 48207

Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes disproportionately affect African Americans in the United States. Early detection and medical care can reduce or delay negative effects associated with the progression of both. This presentation will describe the Healthy Connections Village Health Worker (HCVHW) project, a community-based participatory intervention designed to pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of a community health worker strategy to encourage African American and Latina women in Detroit to obtain screening for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The project involves recruiting, training and supporting community members as lay health advisors called “Healthy Connections Advocates” (HCAs). The HCAs disseminate information about cardiovascular disease and diabetes prevention, screening and management, and conduct screening for diabetes and cardiovascular disease through “House Parties” (organized gatherings of women at community locations). In this presentation, we share screening results from the evaluation of this innovative effort and describe follow-up efforts. HCAs conducted 98 House Parties within a 10 month period, screening 1,121 women for blood pressure and/or diabetes and reaching many more with information about healthy diets, physical activity, and other health promotion and disease prevention approaches. 55% of individuals whose blood pressure was above 140/90 at screening indicated they had not been previously diagnosed with high blood pressure. Similarly, 67% of individuals whose blood sugar level was 200+ at screening indicated they had not been previously diagnosed with diabetes. We will discuss implications of these results for community planning interventions to reduce high blood pressure and diabetes among African American and Latina women.