Evaluating a new behavioral health curriculum for promotores: Implications for community-based participatory research

Mental health and illness are surrounded by stigma, posing significant challenges to the Latino community of San Bernardino County, CA. The described project was a collaborative effort between local community-based organization (CBO) El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center (El Sol), San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health (DBH), Latino Health Collaborative (LHC), and Loma Linda University School of Public Health (LLUSPH) to train promotores de salud (community health workers) using a newly developed mental health education curriculum. The partnership was unique in incorporating community-based participatory research (CBPR) into the implementation and evaluation of this program. This presentation will discuss strategies that ensured reciprocity between community and academic partners in the evaluation process, with an important focus on building capacity within El Sol by training them in evaluation methods to make future such efforts sustainable. Students and LHC staff measured changes in promotores' knowledge and self-efficacy through pre- and post-tests for each module and conducted focus groups with promotores to explore attitudes toward mental health and obtain feedback about the training process. The community-level impact of promotores' mental health presentations was assessed by asking presentation attendees to complete short surveys measuring changes in knowledge, attitude toward mental health, and intention to use presented mental health information. The SEED-SCALE provided a useful model where a three way partnership of grass-roots organizations (El Sol/LHC), governmental support (DBH), and academic/technical expertise (LLUSPH) form a powerful triad which is more likely to lead to sustainable and meaningful change.