Vida PURA: Training Promotores to do Screening and Brief Intervention to Reduce Unhealthy Drinking among Latino Day Laborers

Latino day laborers are at increased risk for unhealthy drinking, yet are unlikely to receive treatment due to their limited access to health care.  Screening and brief intervention (SBI) is known to reduce drinking in primary care, however because health care access is limited for Latino immigrants, traditional brief interventions are unlikely to reach this population.  Vida PURA is a culturally adapted intervention that consists of promotores providing SBI at a day labor worker center.  Promotores are members of the community they serve, therefore they are familiar and connected with their community which enhances participant comfort and trust with intervention delivery.  In our pilot test of the intervention, promotores were trained on patterns of unhealthy drinking, consequences of unhealthy drinking, and motivational interviewing techniques.  Promotores’ audio recorded their brief interventions which were rated by other research staff using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity scale.  The review included counting the number of open-ended and close-ended questions, reflections, and the ratio of reflections to total questions, as well as identifying MI adherent and non-adherent behaviors.  Recordings were also used to provide ongoing feedback to promotores throughout the intervention. Initial results indicate that promotores can be trained to provide SBI and that Latino day laborers are open to receiving these services in a community setting.  Further analyses will assess the impact of the intervention on reducing unhealthy drinking.