The Community Perspective of Community Health Workers’ Effectiveness in Public Health

Title: The Community Perspective of Community Health Workers’ Effectiveness in Public Health
Authors: Jazmine Abril, Sonia Sehgal, Karishma Shah
Date: 1/27/2025
Abstract: Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a critical role in improving public health, particularly in underserved communities, by bridging gaps in healthcare access and addressing social determinants of health. Despite their growing numbers and importance, challenges remain in defining and measuring their effectiveness due to the complexity of their roles and the lack of standardized evaluation metrics. This study aims to qualitatively explore roles, barriers to efficacy, and potential metrics of eight CHWs in Utah to better evaluate their impact. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight CHWs, developed in collaboration with a CHW to ensure relevance to their experiences. The interviews addressed CHWs’ responsibilities, barriers, goals, and potential evaluation methods. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis to identify recurring themes, focusing on capturing the diversity of CHWs’ experiences and perspectives. Thematic analysis revealed seven overall key themes: the importance of personal stories, the need for community expertise, CHW as a multifaceted position, social and professional networks supporting efficacy, insufficiency of current quantitative methods, CHWs connecting communities to resources, and supporting healthy lifestyles. Key themes for efficacy measurement included the number of resources connected to, improvements in quality of life, and the significance of community and CHW support systems. The findings of this study highlight the multifaceted roles and barriers faced by CHWs, providing valuable insights into their effectiveness. By integrating themes such as resource connections, quality-of-life improvements, and support networks into an evaluation tool, standardized metrics can be created to reflect the complexity of CHWs’ impact. These insights will guide the development of a robust evaluation framework to better assess and enhance the efficacy of CHWs in underserved communities.

Copyright: Academy of Health Sciences Educators ©2025

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The Community Perspective of Community Health Workers’ Effectiveness in Public Health by Jazmine Abril, Sonia Sehgal & Karishma Shah, MD, PhD