Lay health advisors as community change agents

Increasing Use of Mammography Among Older, Rural African American Women: Results From a Community Trial

“…Lay health advisors were "natural helpers" in the community, women to whom other women turned for guidance and support. 15,16 Four community outreach specialists (indigenous community leaders hired and paid by the project but located in local health departDespite their lower breast cancer incidence rates, older African American women have higher breast cancer mortality rates than do White women. 1,2 Later stage at diagnosis accounts for a significant proportion of the mortality difference, and lower rates of screening mammography account for some of the racial disparities in stage at diagnosis.…”

“…6,[10][11][12][13][14] Lay health advisors (including peer volunteers, peer educators, and lay community workers) have been proposed as an effective means of promoting breast cancer screening and other healthy behaviors. [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Lay health advisors are community members trained to act as links between the professional health care system and their communities. 16 Studies conducted with disadvantaged urban populations have shown that lay health advisor interventions increase mammography use among women recruited from the community.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Lay health advisors are community members trained to act as links between the professional health care system and their communities. 16 Studies conducted with disadvantaged urban populations have shown that lay health advisor interventions increase mammography use among women recruited from the community. [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] Few studies have addressed communitywide changes in postintervention behaviors, and even fewer among rural populations.…”

The East Side Village Health Worker Partnership: integrating research with action to reduce health disparities

“…24,[33][34][35][36] VHWs involved in the Partnership are residents of the east side of Detroit. In keeping with the literature on lay health advisors, [37][38][39] many were invited to participate on the basis of their identification by community members or organizations as people who are considered trustworthy, competent problem solvers to whom others turn for advice and support. Some VHWs also sought out the Partnership, having heard of it by word of mouth.…”

A Qualitative Exploration of Alternative Strategies for Building Community Health Partnerships: Collaboration- Versus Issue-Oriented Approaches

“…There is an extensive literature on community collaboration and community organizing that includes general arguments for collaborative approaches, [1][2][3][4] theoretical rationales, [5][6][7] specific strategies to promote community participation, [8][9][10] and case study examples of successful collaboration. [11][12][13] environment, employment). Issue-oriented partnerships-those that focused on a single issue (e.g., health system integration, asthma)-were less likely to involve residents and resident-driven organizations in a central role.…”