scholarly journals Non-clinical sexual health support for HIV, viral hepatitis, and other sexually transmitted infections in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: Protocol for a European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES) (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Sherriff ◽  
Jorg Huber ◽  
Nicholas McGlynn ◽  
Carrie Llewellyn ◽  
Alex Pollard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Sex With Men

UNSTRUCTURED Background: The term Community Health Worker (CHW) can apply to a wide range of individuals providing health services and support for diverse populations. Very little is known about the role of CHWs in Europe who work in non-clinical settings and who promote sexual health and prevent HIV/STI among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Objective: This paper describes the development and piloting of the first European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES) as part of the broader European Union (EU) funded ESTICOM project. The questionnaire aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of CHWs providing sexual health services to gay men, bisexual men and other MSM in European settings. Methods and analysis: ECHOES comprises of three superordinate domains divided into 10 subsections with 175 items (routed) based on a scoping exercise and literature review, online pre-piloting and a Europe-wide consultation. Additional piloting and cognitive debriefing interviews with stakeholders were conducted to identify comprehension issues and improve the clarity, intelligibility, accessibility, and acceptability of the survey. Psychometric properties including internal consistency of the standardised scales used as part of the survey including internal consistency were examined. The final survey was available in 16 languages. Results: Recruitment closed on 31 January 2018. A total of 1,035 community health workers were available for analysis, after application of exclusion criteria. Discussion: The findings of the survey will be available in late 2019 and will help characterise for the first time, the diverse role of CHWs who provide sexual health services to gay men, bisexual men and other MSM in Europe. Importantly, the data will be used to inform the content and design of a dedicated training programme for CHWs as part of the larger European Union (EU) funded ESTICOM project and provide recommendations for EU strategies to improve sexual health in general and to reduce HIV, viral hepatitis and other STIs incidence and prevalence in particular.

scholarly journals Nonclinical Sexual Health Support for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections in Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Protocol for a European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES)

10.2196/15012 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e15012
Author(s):  
Nigel Sherriff ◽  
Jorg Huber ◽  
Nick McGlynn ◽  
Carrie Llewellyn ◽  
Alex Pollard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Sex With Men

Background The term “community health worker” (CHW) can apply to a wide range of individuals providing health services and support for diverse populations. Very little is known about the role of CHWs in Europe working in nonclinical settings who promote sexual health and prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). Objective This paper describes the development and piloting of the first European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES) as part of the broader European Union-funded ESTICOM (European Surveys and Trainings to Improve MSM Community Health) project. The questionnaire aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of CHWs providing sexual health services to gay, bisexual, and other MSM in European settings. Methods ECHOES comprises three superordinate domains divided into 10 subsections with 175 items (routed) based on a scoping exercise and literature review, online prepiloting, and Europe-wide consultation. Additional piloting and cognitive debriefing interviews with stakeholders were conducted to identify comprehension issues and improve the clarity, intelligibility, accessibility, and acceptability of the survey. Psychometric properties, including internal consistency of the standardized scales used as part of the survey were examined. The final survey was available to 33 countries in 16 languages. Results Recruitment closed on January 31, 2018. Data from 1035 CHWs were available for analysis after application of the exclusion criteria. The findings of the ECHOES survey and the wider ESTICOM project, are now available from the ESTICOM website and/or by contacting the first author. Conclusions The findings of this survey will help characterize, for the first time, the diverse role of CHWs who provide sexual health services to gay, bisexual, and other MSM in Europe. Importantly, the data will be used to inform the content and design of a dedicated training program for CHWs as part of the larger ESTICOM project and provide recommendations for MSM-specific strategies to improve sexual health in general and to reduce the incidence and prevalence of HIV, viral hepatitis, and other STIs in particular. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/15012

The Role of Evaluation in Developing and Sustaining Community Health Worker Coalitions

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 284-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edith C. Kieffer ◽  
Nicholas Yankey ◽  
Katherine Mitchell ◽  
Caitlin G. Allen ◽  
Mary R. Janevic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Worker

scholarly journals Defining the Role of the Community Health Worker within a Federal Healthy Start Care Coordination Team

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. 93-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Raffo ◽  
Celeste Lloyd ◽  
Monica Collier ◽  
LaDynah Slater ◽  
Belinda Cunningham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Care Coordination ◽  
Healthy Start ◽  
Coordination Team

scholarly journals Health Facility-based Counselling and Community Outreach are Associated with Maternal Dietary Practices in a Cross-sectional Study from Tanzania

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirk A. Dearden ◽  
Ramu Bishwakarma ◽  
Benjamin T. Crookston ◽  
Benesta T. Masau ◽  
Generose I. Mulokozi
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Children's Health ◽  
Dietary Behaviors ◽  
Access To Health Services ◽  
Dietary Practices ◽  
Access To Health

Abstract Background: Anemia and underweight among women are major public health challenges. Access to health services can improve dietary behaviors and women’s nutritional status. We examined whether exposure to health services is associated with women’s dietary practices in Tanzania.Methods: Data come from a two-stage, randomized baseline survey among 5,000 female primary caregivers prior to implementing a maternal and child nutrition program. We ran frequencies on women’s exposure to existing health facility-based counselling, community health worker visits, and attendance at women’s support groups. We examined associations between exposure to these interventions and maternal diets and adjusted for sociodemographic covariates using ordinary least squares regression and ordered logistic regression.Results: A third of the sample (34.1 percent) had received any antenatal care (ANC) during their most recent pregnancy or had been advised by anyone about nutrition (37.0 percent). 68.0 percent had never had a community health worker (CHW) speak to them about their children’s health and 9.4 percent had participated in a women’s group. Only 8.0 percent of mothers ate more than usual during pregnancy and 7.1 percent ate more types of foods. After adjusting for mother’s age, education and household assets, women who received nutrition advice were 1.3 times (95 percent CI: 1.1, 1.7) more likely than mothers who did not to eat more during pregnancy. Receiving ANC and advice on nutrition before, during, and after pregnancy and delivery were highly associated with the mother eating more types of foods. Hearing from a CHW about children’s health but not support group attendance was often associated with various dietary practices. Almost all measures of access to health services were significantly associated with mothers’ frequency of eating in the previous 24 hours. Receiving advice on nutrition during pregnancy and after giving birth and CHW contact were associated with mothers’ dietary diversity in the previous 24 hours. Conclusions: Several program exposure variables—especially being counselled about nutrition—were associated with improved dietary practices. Improving service delivery at scale may contribute to improved dietary behaviors in larger populations, given the associations we describe, along with findings from the existing literature.

The European Community Health Worker Online Survey (ECHOES)

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (suppl_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
N Sherriff ◽  
J Huber ◽  
N McGlynn ◽  
C Llewellyn ◽  
C Folch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
European Community ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Online Survey

scholarly journals Community health worker-led ART delivery improved scheduled antiretroviral drug refill among men who have sex with men in Lagos State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olujuwon Ibiloye ◽  
Patrick Akande ◽  
Jwanle Plang ◽  
Franklin Emerenini ◽  
Temiwoluwa Omole ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Health Worker ◽  
Community Health Worker ◽  
Retrospective Cohort ◽  
Routinely Collected Data ◽  
Antiretroviral Drug ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Sex With Men ◽  
Art Delivery

Abstract Background Stigma affects access and treatment outcomes in men who have sex with men. We assessed the effect of novel community health worker-led antiretroviral therapy delivery (CLAD). Methods A retrospective cohort study of routinely collected data was conducted. We used the t-test to compare the mean adherence to scheduled drug refill appointments before and after implementing CLAD. Results The mean adherence to drug refill was 1.4 (±0.7 SD) of monthly scheduled refills before CLAD and 4.7 (±1.2 SD) of monthly refills in CLAD (P < 0.001). Conclusion The CLAD model was more effective for drug refill appointments than a regular HIV clinic.

scholarly journals A Crowdsourced Physician Finder Prototype Platform for Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: Qualitative Study of Acceptability and Feasibility

10.2196/13027 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. e13027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wu ◽  
Wenting Huang ◽  
Peipei Zhao ◽  
Chunyan Li ◽  
Bolin Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Southern China ◽  
University Education ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Sex With Men

Background Men who have sex with men (MSM), including both gay and bisexual men, have a high prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in China. However, healthcare seeking behaviors and engagement in clinical services among MSM are often suboptimal. Global evidence shows that embedding online HIV or sexual health services into gay social networking applications holds promise for facilitating higher rates of healthcare utilization among MSM. We developed a prototype of a gay-friendly health services platform, designed for integration within a popular gay social networking app (Blued) in China. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of the platform and ask for user feedback through focus group interviews with young MSM in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, cities in Southern China. Methods The prototype was developed through an open, national crowdsourcing contest. Open crowdsourcing contests solicit community input on a topic in order to identify potential improvements and implement creative solutions. The prototype included a local, gay-friendly, STI physician finder tool and online psychological consulting services. Semistructured focus group discussions were conducted with MSM to ask for their feedback on the platform, and a short survey was administered following discussions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data in NVivo, and we developed a codebook based on the first interview. Double coding was conducted, and discrepancies were discussed with a third individual until consensus was reached. We then carried out descriptive analysis of the survey data. Results A total of 34 participants attended four focus group discussions. The mean age was 27.3 years old (SD 4.6). A total of 32 (94%) participants obtained at least university education, and 29 (85%) men had seen a doctor at least once before. Our survey results showed that 24 (71%) participants had interest in using the online health services platform and 25 (74%) thought that the system was easy to use. Qualitative data also revealed that there was a high demand for gay-friendly healthcare services which could help with care seeking. Men felt that the platform could bridge gaps in the existing HIV or STI service delivery system, specifically by identifying local gay-friendly physicians and counselors, providing access to online physician consultation and psychological counseling services, creating space for peer support, and distributing pre-exposure prophylaxis and sexual health education. Conclusions Crowdsourcing can help develop a community-centered online platform linking MSM to local gay-friendly HIV or STI services. Further research on developing social media–based platforms for MSM and evaluating the effectiveness of such platforms may be useful for improving sexual health outcomes.

scholarly journals A Crowdsourced Physician Finder Prototype Platform for Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: Qualitative Study of Acceptability and Feasibility (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Wu ◽  
Wenting Huang ◽  
Peipei Zhao ◽  
Chunyan Li ◽  
Bolin Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Southern China ◽  
University Education ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Sex With Men

BACKGROUND Men who have sex with men (MSM), including both gay and bisexual men, have a high prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in China. However, healthcare seeking behaviors and engagement in clinical services among MSM are often suboptimal. Global evidence shows that embedding online HIV or sexual health services into gay social networking applications holds promise for facilitating higher rates of healthcare utilization among MSM. We developed a prototype of a gay-friendly health services platform, designed for integration within a popular gay social networking app (Blued) in China. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of the platform and ask for user feedback through focus group interviews with young MSM in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, cities in Southern China. METHODS The prototype was developed through an open, national crowdsourcing contest. Open crowdsourcing contests solicit community input on a topic in order to identify potential improvements and implement creative solutions. The prototype included a local, gay-friendly, STI physician finder tool and online psychological consulting services. Semistructured focus group discussions were conducted with MSM to ask for their feedback on the platform, and a short survey was administered following discussions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data in NVivo, and we developed a codebook based on the first interview. Double coding was conducted, and discrepancies were discussed with a third individual until consensus was reached. We then carried out descriptive analysis of the survey data. RESULTS A total of 34 participants attended four focus group discussions. The mean age was 27.3 years old (SD 4.6). A total of 32 (94%) participants obtained at least university education, and 29 (85%) men had seen a doctor at least once before. Our survey results showed that 24 (71%) participants had interest in using the online health services platform and 25 (74%) thought that the system was easy to use. Qualitative data also revealed that there was a high demand for gay-friendly healthcare services which could help with care seeking. Men felt that the platform could bridge gaps in the existing HIV or STI service delivery system, specifically by identifying local gay-friendly physicians and counselors, providing access to online physician consultation and psychological counseling services, creating space for peer support, and distributing pre-exposure prophylaxis and sexual health education. CONCLUSIONS Crowdsourcing can help develop a community-centered online platform linking MSM to local gay-friendly HIV or STI services. Further research on developing social media–based platforms for MSM and evaluating the effectiveness of such platforms may be useful for improving sexual health outcomes.

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