Improving health and well-being through community health champions: a thematic evaluation of a programme in Yorkshire and Humber

Abstract

Aims: The contribution that lay people can make to the public health agenda is being increasingly recognised in research and policy literature. This paper examines the role of lay workers (referred to as 'community health champions') involved in community projects delivered by Altogether Bette across Yorkshire and Humber. The paper reports findings from a thematic evaluation of the community health champion role to understand how the Altogether Better projects involve community health champions to improve health. Methods:To understand the context, delivery and outcomes of the Altogether Better projects, a qualitative approach was adopted. An important consideration when designing the evaluation was listening to the views of those working directly within projects and in partnership and also to provide the champions with an opportunity to share their experiences. The data collection with project staff and partners consisted of 29 semistructured interviews and two participatory workshops were held to gain the views of champions. In total, 30 champions, varying in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and disability, took part.Results: Becoming a community health champion has health benefits such as increasing self-esteem and confidence and improved well-being. For some champions, this was the start of a journey to other opportunities such as education or paid employment. There were many examples of the influence of champions extending to the wider community of family, friends and neighbours including helping to support people to take part in community life.Champions recognised the value of connecting people through social networks, group activities, and linking people into services and the impact that had on health and well-being. 2Project staff and partners also recognised that champions were promoting social cohesiveness and helping to integrate people into their community. Conclusions:The recent public health White Paper suggested that the Altogether Better programme is improving individual and community health as well as increasing social capital, voluntary activities and wider civic participation. This evaluation supports this statement and suggests that the community health champion role can be a catalyst for change for both individuals and communities.

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