Building Social Capital Through a Peer-Led Community Health Workshop: A Pilot with the Bhutanese Refugee Community

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyojin Im ◽  
Rachel Rosenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Refugee Community ◽  
Bhutanese Refugee

scholarly journals A Review of the Community Health Club Literature Describing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1880
Author(s):  
Jason Rosenfeld ◽  
Ruth Berggren ◽  
Leah Frerichs
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Theory Of Change ◽  
Health Promotion Program ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Health Club ◽  
Qualitative Evidence ◽  
Sanitation And Hygiene

The Community Health Club (CHC) model is a community-based health promotion program that utilizes water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) education as the first stage of a longitudinal development process. Although the CHC model has been implemented in fourteen countries over 20 years, this is the first review of the literature describing the model’s outcomes and impact. We conducted a review of the literature that provided quantitative or qualitative evidence of CHC interventions focused on WASH in low- and middle-income countries. We identified 25 articles that met our inclusion criteria. We found six major outcomes: WASH behaviors and knowledge, social capital, collective action, health, and cost or cost-effectiveness. The most consistent evidence was associated with WASH behaviors and knowledge, with significant effects on defecation practices, hand washing behaviors, and WASH knowledge. We also found qualitative evidence of impact on social capital and collective action. CHCs catalyze favorable changes in WASH behaviors and knowledge, yielding outcomes commensurate with other WASH promotion strategies. This review provides insights into the model’s theory of change, helping identify areas for further investigation. The CHC model’s holistic focus and emphasis on individual and collective change offer promising potential to address multiple health and development determinants.

scholarly journals Social Capital Dimensions are Differentially Associated with COVID-19 Vaccinations, Masks, and Physical Distancing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibtihal Ferwana ◽  
Lav R. Varshney
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Residential Mobility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Family Unity

Background Social capital has been associated with health outcomes in communities and can explain variations in different geographic localities. Social capital has also been associated with behaviors that promote better health and reduce the impacts of diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, face masking, and vaccination have all been essential in controlling contagion. These behaviors have not been uniformly adopted by communities in the United States. Using different facets of social capital to explain the differences in public behaviors among communities during pandemics is lacking. Objective This study examines the relationship among public health behavior, vaccination, face masking, and physical distancing during COVID-19 pandemic and social capital indices in counties in the United States. Methods We used publicly available vaccination data as of June 2021, face masking data in July 2020, and mobility data from mobile phones movements from the end of March 2020. Then, correlation analysis was conducted with county-level social capital index and its subindices (family unity, community health, institutional health, and collective efficacy) that were obtained from the Social Capital Project by the United States Senate. Results We found the social capital index and its subindices differentially correlate with different public health behaviors. Vaccination is associated with institutional health: positively with fully vaccinated population and negatively with vaccination hesitancy. Also, wearing masks negatively associates with community health, whereases reduced mobility associates with better community health. Further, residential mobility positively associates with family unity. By comparing correlation coefficients, we find that social capital and its subindices have largest effect sizes on vaccination and residential mobility. Conclusion Our results show that different facets of social capital are significantly associated with adoption of protective behaviors, e.g., social distancing, face masking, and vaccination. As such, our results suggest that differential facets of social capital imply a Swiss cheese model of pandemic control planning where, e.g., institutional health and community health, provide partially overlapping behavioral benefits.

scholarly journals Social capital dimensions are differentially associated with COVID-19 vaccinations, masks, and physical distancing

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0260818
Author(s):  
Ibtihal Ferwana ◽  
Lav R. Varshney
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Collective Efficacy ◽  
Residential Mobility ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Family Unity

Background Social capital has been associated with health outcomes in communities and can explain variations in different geographic localities. Social capital has also been associated with behaviors that promote better health and reduce the impacts of diseases. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, face masking, and vaccination have all been essential in controlling contagion. These behaviors have not been uniformly adopted by communities in the United States. Using different facets of social capital to explain the differences in public behaviors among communities during pandemics is lacking. Objective This study examines the relationship among public health behavior—vaccination, face masking, and physical distancing—during COVID-19 pandemic and social capital indices in counties in the United States. Methods We used publicly available vaccination data as of June 2021, face masking data in July 2020, and mobility data from mobile phones movements from the end of March 2020. Then, correlation analysis was conducted with county-level social capital index and its subindices (family unity, community health, institutional health, and collective efficacy) that were obtained from the Social Capital Project by the United States Senate. Results We found the social capital index and its subindices differentially correlate with different public health behaviors. Vaccination is associated with institutional health: positively with fully vaccinated population and negatively with vaccination hesitancy. Also, wearing masks negatively associates with community health, whereases reduced mobility associates with better community health. Further, residential mobility positively associates with family unity. By comparing correlation coefficients, we find that social capital and its subindices have largest effect sizes on vaccination and residential mobility. Conclusion Our results show that different facets of social capital are significantly associated with adoption of protective behaviors, e.g., social distancing, face masking, and vaccination. As such, our results suggest that differential facets of social capital imply a Swiss cheese model of pandemic control planning where, e.g., institutional health and community health, provide partially overlapping behavioral benefits.

scholarly journals Cross-Cultural “Allies” in Immigrant Community Practice: Roles of foreign-trained former Montagnard health professionals

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Xin ◽  
S. Morrison ◽  
J. Dharod ◽  
A. Young ◽  
M. Nsonwu
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Immigrant Community ◽  
Medical Visit ◽  
Refugee Community ◽  
Interview Format ◽  
The U.S

This pilot case study describes foreign-trained former Montagnard refugee physicians’ practice experiences in Vietnam and their current community health worker and “ally” roles within the Montagnard refugee community. It highlights key features that facilitate cross-culturally responsive health care. We interviewed five Vietnam-trained former Montagnard refugee physicians using an open-ended interview format during March, 2012. We used content analysis procedures to identify key themes characterizing Montagnard physicians’ former and current practice experiences and emphasizing the roles they currently play in their new homeland. Montagnard physicians were fighting infectious diseases in homeland Vietnamese communities. Since coming to the U.S., Montagnard physicians have reoriented their competencies to fit within a community health workers model, and have shifted practice to fighting chronic disease in this refugee community. Tasks now include describing and contextualizing unique characteristics of the Montagnard languages and cultures to outside constituents. They become cross-cultural allies to the U.S. health care and facilitate individuals’ medical adherence with mainstream physicians’ orders. They ensure accuracy of interpretation of Montagnard patients’ medical complaints during a medical visit. Our findings reveal the potential roles that can be ascribed to a cross-cultural ally and can be built into practice to fulfill the Montagnard community’s unmet health needs: oral historian, mediator, facilitator/negotiator, quality assurer, psychosocial confidant, and health advocate.

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