Effectiveness of community health workers for promoting use of safety eyewear by Latino farm workers

• DOI: 10.1002/ajim.20103
• Publication Date: 2004-11-18T10:21:16Z
• Authors: Linda Forst; Steven Lacey; Hua Yun Chen; Rocio Jimenez; Susan Bauer; Sara Skinner; Ramona Alvarado; Leslie Nickels; Joseph Zanoni; Robert Petrea; Lorraine Conroy
• Keywords: Adult; Community Health Workers; Male; 2. Zero hunger; Adolescent; Agriculture; Health Promotion; Hispanic or Latino; Middle Aged; United States; 3. Good health; Cohort Studies; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Surveys and Questionnaires; Multivariate Analysis; Accidents, Occupational; Humans; Female; Eye Protective Devices; Attitude to Health; Probability; Program Evaluation

AbstractBackgroundTo evaluate The Community Health Worker “promotor de salud” (CHW) model is evaluated as a tool for reducing eye injuries in Latino farm workers.MethodsIn 2001, 786 workers on 34 farms were divided into three intervention blocks: (A) CHWs provided protective eyewear and training to farm workers; (B) CHWs provided eyewear but no training to farm workers; (C) eyewear was distributed to farm workers with no CHW present and no training.ResultsPre‐ and post‐intervention questionnaires demonstrated greater self‐reported use of eyewear in all blocks after the intervention (P < 0.0001), with Block A showing the greatest change compared to B (P < 0.0001) and C (P = 0.03); this was supported by field observations. Block A showed the greatest improvement in knowledge on questions related to training content.ConclusionCHWs were an effective tool to train farm workers in eye health and safety, improving the use of personal protective equipment and knowledge. Am. J. Ind. Med. 46:607–613, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.