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300838
Classroom instruction vs. use of technology to train peer community health advisors in African American churches: Impact on intervention fidelity
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Erin K. Tagai, MPH
,
Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Cheryl L. Holt, PhD
,
Department of Behavioral and Community Health; School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Mary Ann Scheirer, PhD
,
Scheirer Consulting, Princeton, NJ
Janice V. Bowie, PhD, MPH
,
Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Muhiuddin Haider, PhD
,
Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland, School of Public Health, College Park, MD
Jimmie Slade, MA
,
Community Health Ministry of Prince George's County, Upper Marlboro, MD
Min Qi Wang, PhD
,
School of Public Health, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Tony Whitehead, PhD
,
Department of Anthropology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Background: Peer health educator approaches are commonly used for health promotion in medically underserved communities. Increasingly, technology is being integrated in such peer health educator interventions as a tool to reach more diverse and broader audiences. Methods: Project HEAL (Health through Early Awareness and Learning) is a community-based implementation trial in 14 African American churches in Prince George’s County, MD. Community Health Advisors (CHAs; 2 per church) were assigned by church to receive training through either a traditional classroom approach (n=16) or a web-based training portal (n=12). The online training mirrors each aspect of the traditional classroom approach – CHAs log in, complete informed consent and a memorandum of understanding, and view 13 content-specific presentation videos. After studying the videos, the CHAs take a knowledge examination to become certified. Following a passing score (85%), the CHAs download their personalized certificate and Project HEAL workshop intervention materials. The CHAs are then prepared to deliver a series of three cancer early detection workshops in their churches covering breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. Results: This presentation will include a demonstration of the web-based CHA training as well as compare and contrast implementation outcomes (e.g., mastery of presentation content and participant engagement) between the traditionally- and online-trained CHAs based off staff-administered fidelity checklists. Conclusions: Project HEAL’s online CHA training may be a promising method to effectively train peer health educators and has the potential to increase the reach of sustainable evidence-based peer health educator-led interventions in today’s fast-changing technological environment.
Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Describe the implementation of an online Community Health Advisor training program in the context of a cancer early detection intervention targeted for African Americans age 40 and older.
Compare implementation outcomes of an online Community Health Advisor training program in the context of a cancer early detection intervention targeted for African Americans age 40 and older.
Keyword(s): Technology, Community Health Workers and Promoters
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Sherie Lou Santos is the current Program Manager of the HEAL Project in which she plays a key
role in the development, management, and implementation of the intervention. She earned her dual MPH at the Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California with concentrations in both Health Education and Maternal and Child Health. She has presented at multiple national and local scientific conferences related to the
content of the proposed presentation.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
