Posters
Presentation Type
Poster
Discipline Track
Community/Public Health
Abstract Type
Research/Clinical
Abstract
Background: Complications due to unhealthy alcohol use are widely spread, and there is a significant unmet need for prevention and treatment in the community. The South Texas-Mexico border region consists of over ninety percent of Hispanics and suffers from a significant shortage of physicians. Alcohol-related problems are highly unrecognized and untreated in this large Hispanic population due to the shortage of healthcare providers, low education levels, and limited trust in the health care system. Prevention efforts should be designed to prevent or reduce the risk of developing alcohol addiction.
Methods: The proposed module focuses on enhancing the Promotoras or Community Health Worker (CHW) ability to screen and recognize unhealthy alcohol use and the need for referral for care. We use a survey to follow and record the experience of a subset of these Promotoras who will educate Hispanic families from their communities.
Results: This module provides data that will significantly contribute to our understanding of the barriers in knowledge, access to services, and care for people with alcohol problems. The study consists of a "train-the-trainer" module designed by the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) specifically for Promotoras. CHW aimed at increasing their knowledge concerning general health practices among ethnic minorities, specifically in terms of alcohol abuse prevention. The initial workshop trained 44 Promotoras from Cameron and Hidalgo counties. Each Promotora was assessed using pre-and post-test questionnaires.
Conclusions: The research team assessed Promotora's alcohol knowledge and prevention strategies with plotted data. In summary, the study provided a measurable unit of our training module in enhancing understanding of screening and the need for intervention for alcohol-related problems by Community Health Workers.
Academic/Professional Position
Faculty
Mentor/PI Department
Neuroscience
Recommended Citation
Garza, Noe; Escareno, J; Diaz-Badillo, Alvaro; and Salloum, Ihsan, "Implementation of a Training Module on Alcohol Prevention for Promotoras on a Border Community in the Rio Grande Valley." (2023). Research Symposium. 77.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2022/posters/77
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons
Implementation of a Training Module on Alcohol Prevention for Promotoras on a Border Community in the Rio Grande Valley.
Background: Complications due to unhealthy alcohol use are widely spread, and there is a significant unmet need for prevention and treatment in the community. The South Texas-Mexico border region consists of over ninety percent of Hispanics and suffers from a significant shortage of physicians. Alcohol-related problems are highly unrecognized and untreated in this large Hispanic population due to the shortage of healthcare providers, low education levels, and limited trust in the health care system. Prevention efforts should be designed to prevent or reduce the risk of developing alcohol addiction.
Methods: The proposed module focuses on enhancing the Promotoras or Community Health Worker (CHW) ability to screen and recognize unhealthy alcohol use and the need for referral for care. We use a survey to follow and record the experience of a subset of these Promotoras who will educate Hispanic families from their communities.
Results: This module provides data that will significantly contribute to our understanding of the barriers in knowledge, access to services, and care for people with alcohol problems. The study consists of a "train-the-trainer" module designed by the Institute of Neuroscience at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) specifically for Promotoras. CHW aimed at increasing their knowledge concerning general health practices among ethnic minorities, specifically in terms of alcohol abuse prevention. The initial workshop trained 44 Promotoras from Cameron and Hidalgo counties. Each Promotora was assessed using pre-and post-test questionnaires.
Conclusions: The research team assessed Promotora's alcohol knowledge and prevention strategies with plotted data. In summary, the study provided a measurable unit of our training module in enhancing understanding of screening and the need for intervention for alcohol-related problems by Community Health Workers.