Creating information resources and trainings for farmworker-serving community health workers

Abstract

Background: Farmworker-serving community health workers have limited access to farmworker health research findings, training, and education resources. With funding from the National Library of Medicine, we are working to improve the health information literacy of both community health workers and farmworkers. We conducted focus group discussions with community health workers to explore their experiences providing health education and information to farmworkers, their information-seeking behaviors, and their technology and information needs. Data from the focus groups provided insights into the main areas in which community health workers would like to receive professional development. Case Presentation: Our team, which includes health sciences librarians, developed a resource list of educational materials for farmworker health, videos to increase community health workers’ skills finding health information online, and webinars to introduce these resources to community health workers. Videos, available in Spanish and English, included instruction on finding and evaluating online health information, accessing reputable online consumer health information sources, and advanced searching tips for Google and PubMed. Through three webinars, we introduced the resource list, videos, and design software for creating handouts and infographics to community health workers. Conclusions: Community health workers have a critical role in providing health education and information to farmworkers, and our efforts represent a first step in addressing community health workers’ limited access to professional development. Health sciences librarians are well positioned to partner with interdisciplinary teams working to reduce health disparities and provide resources and training to community health workers, farmworkers, and other underserved communities.

Exploring the learning preferences of farmworker‐serving community health workers

“…Perceptions of learning styles may influence how learners, particularly adult and informal learners, seek out information. A better understanding of community health workers' learning preferences has relevance to librarians and others designing professional development for community health workers, creating public health interventions, and seeking to improve health outcomes for marginalized populations (Bloss, LePrevost, Cofie, & Lee, 2022; Bloss, LePrevost, Zahra, et al, 2022; LePrevost et al, 2022).…”

“…Previously, health sciences librarians created information resources and training for farmworker‐serving community health workers. Specifically, they developed a resource list of educational materials for farmworker health, videos to improve community health workers' skills in finding health information online, and webinars to introduce these resources to community health workers (Bloss, LePrevost, Cofie, & Lee, 2022; Bloss, LePrevost, Zahra, et al, 2022). Additional training needs for farmworker‐serving community health workers identified in a prior study include crediting sources, creating new materials, and organization and storage (LePrevost et al, 2022).…”

Focus groups revealed how community health workers in North Carolina find, verify, and process health information for migrant and seasonal farmworkers

“…Librarians and public health or medical professionals should partner to support these endeavours. We have described elsewhere our team's efforts to create resource lists, videos and webinars to support the professional development of farmworker-serving CHWs in NC (Bloss et al, 2022).…”