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CHW Health Disparities Initiative

Argentina

“It’s important for people to find a promotora at the health center. The promotores can refer the patients. Now the road is easier for everyone. It is an easier process for everyone. The doctors went out to do community work and the promotores went into the health center.” Promotora from Argentina, 2010

In Argentina, the project was implemented in Mar del Plat under the name Guardacorazón. The two strategies used were Strategy 1 (train-the-trainer) and Strategy 2a (community education). A total of 10 training sessions were conducted for the CHWs participating in Strategy 1; a total of 6 education sessions were conducted for the participants in Strategy 2a, which included 30 students from an adult education program and 18 participants from a community development organization.

Results

Data from the Guardacorazón program in Argentina indicate that participants’ overall knowledge scores and their frequency of practice of behaviors related to heart healthy foods behaviors improved after implementation of the train-the-trainer strategy. After the implementation of the community education strategy, community members’ overall knowledge and the frequency of practice of heart healthy behaviors also improved.

  • Trained CHWs (N=18) increased their heart health knowledge by 18 percent and increased intent to adopt heart health behaviors by 8 percent.
  • Participants (N=48) increased their heart health knowledge by 16 percentage points after receiving community education, and their intent to adopt heart healthy behaviors increased by 5 percentage points.
  • Guardacorazón was integrated into a primary care community clinic and into the curriculum of an adult education program.
  • Twelve trained CHWs taught CVD prevention and control at a community clinic, an adult education program, and a community development organization.
  • CHWs engaged in community outreach activities, including health fairs, referrals to screening services at a community clinic, cooking demonstrations, walking clubs, and puppet shows for kindergarten-age children.
  • CHWs used a multisector approach to address CVD risk factors by involving organizations in the health, education, and nutrition sectors.
  • In 2010 and 2011, the Guardacorazón project received grants from the Argentinean Department of Health to disseminate health information via trained CHWs to reach over 8,000 people each year.

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Last Updated: June 2014