Overcoming Barriers: Practical Strategies to Assess Latinos Living in Low-Income Communities

Abstract

The value of community assessments depends on the researchers’ ability to reach a diverse and representative sample of participants. This process is particularly challenging when assessing the health and well-being of vulnerable populations that are reticent to participate in research because of demographic and sociopolitical factors. One such group is Latinxs (the gender-neutral version of Latinos or Latinas) of mixed immigration status who live in low-income, socially and geographically isolated enclaves in the Southeast. Framed by community-based participatory research and social marketing theories, this study describes practical strategies for health researchers, practitioners, and advocates seeking to engage and build trusting relationship within U.S. Latinx communities. First, identify and leverage points of entry to different segments of the communities of interest by engaging meaningful gatekeepers from different sections of the population and searching for places where potential participants gather. Second, reduce the burden of assessments by using incentives and creating intentional reciprocity. Third, establish critical, long-lasting trust with community members, leaders, and allies by adapting data collection procedures, ensuring confidentiality, engaging bilingual facilitators, and most important, being present with and for the community. Finally, presenting the findings back to the community can increase the ownership of the process.

“No queremos quedar mal”: A qualitative analysis of a boundary setting training among Latina community health workers.

“…The goal of Lazos Hispanos is to increase access to health and social services among local Latinx community members. Latinx individuals in this community face multiple, interconnected barriers when trying to access health and social services (e.g., Calva et al, 2020). Hence, the promotoras serve as a bridge, ambassadors, and connectors between the Latinx community and the service providers (Orpinas et al, 2020).…”

A multistakeholder evaluation of Lazos Hispanos: An application of a community‐based participatory research conceptual model

“…In contrast to most published CBPR studies, the design of the current study focused on building a bridge between the community and the health providers through the promotoras . This purposeful strategy emerged from our initial assessment describing the multiple, interconnected needs of the community (Calva et al, ). As such, a general focus of the role of promotoras (as bridges between providers and community), accompanied by a mixed‐method, multisystemic evaluation protocol followed naturally.…”

“…First, regarding context, Lazos Hispanos is situated in a geographically small county in Georgia, as detailed in the Methods section. In an assessment of the communities in this county, several inter‐related barriers to access healthcare and social services emerged (Calva, Matthew, & Orpinas, ). The most distressing was immigration status.…”

Mural Painting to Collect Sensitizing Data and Encourage Research Participation Among U.S. Latinos

“…Step 2: Diagnosis/determining need. The windshield survey will allow the study team to pinpoint a potential, centrally located organization or public meeting place where they might connect with local stakeholders (Calva et al, 2020). In both mural interventions, the primary investigator (PI) attended events that were advertised publicly (and noted) during the windshield survey.…”