Increasing dissemination through technology: Web-based training for community health advisors

Health interventions are increasingly using technology for program delivery. Project HEAL (Health Through Early Awareness and Learning) is an evidence-based cancer educational intervention that compares training methods for lay Community Health Advisors (CHAs): web-based versus traditional classroom. Twenty-eight CHAs from 14 African American churches in Maryland were randomized to a web-based (N = 6 churches) or traditional classroom (N 8 churches) training approach. CHAs delivered a 3-part workshop series to congregation members aged 40-75 focusing on breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer. Breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer knowledge and screening were compared between participants in the web-based and traditional training churches using data from baseline to 12-months. To date, 236 participants (63% of enrolled participants) have completed the baseline and 12-month surveys. Overall, the Project HEAL workshops resulted in significant increases in breast and colorectal cancer knowledge (p < .001), but not prostate cancer (p > .05). There was also an overall significant increase in the number of individuals up-to-date for colorectal cancer screening at 12-months (p < .05), however there were no significant differences for breast or prostate cancer screening (p > .05). No significant differences in knowledge or screening were found between the two CHA training conditions from baseline to 12-months (p > .05). Participants in both conditions had comparable study outcomes, suggesting that web-based training may be as effective as traditional classroom training. Web-based training method may be a suitable method to train lay health advisors and may have implications for increased reach and sustainability of evidence-based interventions.