Promoting immigrant women's health: Community health workers' perspectives and practice

Public health care researchers, policy makers, and providers are increasingly interested in developing more effective and culturally responsive health promotion theories and interventions for diverse immigrant populations. The purpose of this study was to develop health promotion theory that validates the local knowledge and experiences of health promoters who work with immigrant women in their community. Adopting the Glaserian grounded theory approach, we developed the relational theory of health promotion practice, which reflects the dynamic processes, properties, and stages through which Cape Verdean health promoters in Boston, Massachusetts develop mutually engaging relationships with immigrant women. These findings challenge health care professionals to broaden the repertoire of health promotion strategies to include relationship-building between health promoters and community women. Through these relationships health promoters can understand the complex structural, cultural, and community factors that influence immigrant women's health and incorporate that knowledge into more effective health promotion practices.