The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #73031

Mehrnaz Davoudi, MPH¹, Katie Eilers, MPH², Deborah C. Glik, ScD¹, Amy S. Myerson, MA¹, Veronica Trigueros, MPH², Maria Ramirez², and Dionesha Simmons². (1) School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, P.O. Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772, 310 267 2694, mdavoudi@ucla.edu, (2) MotherNet LA, 409 East Palmer Street, Compton, CA 90221

MotherNet L.A. serves disadvantaged families residing in Compton, Los Angeles. The Community Health Access Project (CHAP) was developed to address health disparities and empower families to effectively utilize the health system. The goal is to improve health access and prevent poor health outcomes. The main objective is to train at least 250 parents of children 0-5 years old to be knowledgeable health consumers through a series of five-week class sessions. These classes are taught by nine bilingual Community Health Workers (CHWs), who are residents of the community. CHWs serve as mentors and provide one-on-one health counseling. The pre-post test quasi-experimental evaluation design assesses a) change in knowledge and health utilization behaviors before and after the parenting classes and b) differences between parents who receive a health mentor and those that do not. Preliminary results among a sample of 162 participants, shows a significant increase (t=-4.798. p<.001) in knowledge from pre-test (x=19.36) to post-test (x=21.71). There was also an increase in self-efficacy (t= -3.355, p= .001) and knowledge of insurance utilization (t= -3.304, p= .001) from pre- to post-time periods. Thus far, 230 participants have obtained health insurance for their children as a result of CHAP. For the section presentation, CHWs will share their experiences, concerns, and best practices regarding their work with underserved individuals. The UCLA evaluation team will make a brief presentation on results of the 3-month follow-up and impact of the mentoring program.

Learning Objectives:

• 1) How to address health disparities through the use of CHWs;
• 2) Understanding the role of the CHW in health promotion and education; and
• 3) Evaluating community-based programs.

Keywords: Access to Health Care, Children's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.