Lay individuals and cervical cancer prevention/early detection: Two approaches

Given the limited access to health care among underserved populations, utilization of lay individuals to disseminate health information and facilitate health care access has been a promising approach in cancer prevention and control efforts. However, the model has been defined in many different ways, different terminology has been used to refer to these individuals (lay health promoters, lay health educators, community health advisors, congregational health leaders, etc), different approaches have been used (e.g., paid staff vs. volunteers, navigators, training on knowledge only, training on knowledge and skills), and different responsibilities have been given to these individuals (e.g., teaching classes, facilitators, “culture brokers”, etc). This presentation will compare two approaches we have used in the cervical cancer prevention and early detection (community health advisors vs. lay health educators) among Latina immigrants in the Deep South of the United States. In one model, volunteers go through a 8-week training on knowledge (e.g., breast cancer) and skills (e.g., communication, problem solving skills) and they decide their own plan of action. In another program, lay health educators (paid by the university) go through an extensive training ranging from 3 to 6 months and they are expected to deliver a more intense program. Both programs recruit from the same pool of applicants, but with very different approaches. This presentation will focus on comparing the successes and challenges of both approaches as well as lessons learned.