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Intellectus

Intellectus

Synopsis

This project highlighted how delivering health information in Spanish can empower Spanish-speaking individuals in the community to feel more confident in seeking healthcare. Also, it emphasized that health promotion can be done in non-traditional or non-healthcare settings such as dance classes and support groups. By collaborating with local community outreach departments in creating future health education programs, many community members can become advocates for their own health as well as for the health of their children and spouses.

Abstract

Context:

A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) has an established partnership with Family HealthCare Network (FHCN). Initial meetings with the local community outreach department identified that a substantial majority of the Hispanic population served by this health center may lack access to health education. In particular, Spanish-speaking patients at the health center may face language barriers that impair the transfer of health education between the providers, patients, and their families.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to provide health educational presentations in Spanish in order to improve health knowledge relating to women’s and children’s health. The goal was to equip participants with necessary health information so that they gain awareness of the importance of scheduling primary care visits for themselves and their families.

Methods:

Two health information sessions on women’s and children’s health were developed, translated, and advertised via flyers to Spanish-speaking attendees of FHCN Bailoterapia dance classes. Participants were recruited on a voluntary basis after passing out the flyers. During each session, participants first filled out a pre-survey. Next, they listened to a live presentation on either women’s or children’s health in Spanish. Finally, they completed the post-survey.

Participation entailed attending one of the educational sessions and completing a pre-survey and post-survey. Ordinal data were collected and outcomes were evaluated via a two-tailed t-test to assess changes in health attitudes, knowledge, and participant satisfaction. Each participant received a numbered packet and their responses to the health attitude questions were compared from pre- to post-presentation. The data from each presentation were independently collected in the same manner.

Results:

Forty-seven eligible participants all participated in the surveys. The completed survey rate was 100%. Survey findings showed an improvement in health knowledge after the presentation. Baseline knowledge and health attitude improvement for women’s and children’s health was 37.9% and 61.25% respectively. Paired t-tests yielded p-values of less than 0.0001.

Conclusion:

The model highlighted how delivering health information in Spanish can empower Spanish-speaking individuals in the community to feel confident in seeking healthcare. We learned from the project that participants displayed an improvement in health knowledge after the presentations. The program was effective in improving participants’ knowledge of the respective health topics. On a community level, the affiliated health center also expressed interest in expanding this program to having more sessions. Other organizations and communities may have different language barriers and thus require additional adjustments. Using this innovative approach to perform outreach and networking with various community organizations will allow new audiences and community members to be reached for future projects.

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