scholarly journals Challenges experienced by community health workers and their motivation to attend a self-management programme

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Levona J. Johnson ◽  
Laura H. Schopp ◽  
Firdouza Waggie ◽  
José M. Frantz
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Patient Adherence ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Management Intervention ◽  
Professional Challenges

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are change agents expected to assist in decreasing the global burden of disease in the communities they serve. However, they themselves have health risk behaviours, which predispose them to non-communicable diseases and thus need to be empowered to make better health choices. There is a gap in literature detailing the challenges faced by CHWs in addressing their own health risk behaviours.Aim: This study aimed to explore the challenges experienced by CHWs in carrying out their daily duties and the motivating factors to join a self-management programme.Setting: The study was conducted in a low socio-economic urban area of the Western Cape, South Africa.Methods: This study used a qualitative exploratory design using in-depth interviews to obtain rich data about the personal and professional challenges that CHWs experience on a daily basis.Results: Five themes emerged with regard to professional challenges (social conditions, mental health of patients, work environment, patient adherence and communication). This cadre identified ineffective self-management as a personal challenge and two themes emerged as motivation for participating in a self-management programme: empowerment and widening perspective.Conclusion: The challenges raised by the CHWs have a direct impact on their role in communities. This study therefore highlights an urgent need for policymakers and leaders who plan training programmes to take intentional strategic action to address their health challenges and to consider utilising a self-management intervention model to improve their overall health status.

scholarly journals Health effectiveness of community health workers as a diabetes self-management intervention

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 316-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Aponte ◽  
Tranice D Jackson ◽  
Katarzyna Wyka ◽  
Cyril Ikechi
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Management Intervention

scholarly journals Emerging from the Shadows: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors Facing Community Health Workers in Western Cape, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3199
Author(s):  
Wilson Majee ◽  
Laura Schopp ◽  
Levona Johnson ◽  
Adaobi Anakwe ◽  
Anthea Rhoda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Patient Adherence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Extrinsic Factors ◽  
Intrinsic And Extrinsic Factors

Community health workers (CHWs) have been identified as a key component of the health workforce in South Africa. However, the efficacy of CHW programs continues to be limited by a poor understanding of facilitators and barriers to CHW engagement. This study explores intrinsic and extrinsic factors that CHWs face. We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 CHWs in order to understand the challenges they may face as they implement their duties linked to the primary health care strategy in the Western Cape, South Africa. All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, coded and analyzed using NVivo 12. Drawing on narratives of CHWs, we illustrate the complex issues surrounding CHW outreach in poor rural communities. The CHWs identified five key areas of challenges with respect to personal health, gender issues, poor community understanding of CHWs roles, environmental challenges and lack of patient adherence. These all hinder the ability of CHWs to meet their personal and familial needs, as well as those of the community members they support. There is a need to address the intrinsic needs of CHWs in order to ensure their emotional and physical well-being, as well as a need to create an awareness of the roles of CHWs.

A Community-Based Participatory Diabetes Prevention and Management Intervention in Rural India Using Community Health Workers

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 822-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Padmini Balagopal ◽  
N. Kamalamma ◽  
Thakor G. Patel ◽  
Ranjita Misra ◽  
Ranjita Misra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Diabetes Prevention ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Management Intervention

Community Health Workers as Key Contributors to Self-Management Programs

2021 ◽  
pp. 125-142
Author(s):  
Jose Frantz ◽  
Levona J. Johnson ◽  
Zamantungwa N. Mvelase ◽  
Janene E. Marais
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Self Management

Community Health Workers Assisting Patients With Diabetes in Self-management

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Lee Hargraves ◽  
Warren J. Ferguson ◽  
Celeste A. Lemay ◽  
Joan Pernice
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Patients With Diabetes

A Self-Management Training Intervention: Perceptions and Practices of Community Health Workers in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 983-992 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Majee ◽  
Adaobi Anakwe ◽  
Levona Johnson ◽  
Anthea Rhoda ◽  
Jose Frantz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Management Training ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
Self Management

Background. While community health workers (CHWs) are increasingly being used as a strategy for increasing health care access, particularly in rural communities, interventions are needed to improve their skill sets in inspiring health behavior change, both for themselves and among their community clients. Self-management (SM) education interventions have shown to improve health behaviors and well-being. Purpose. This article reports on systematic, in-depth interviews conducted with rural CHWs in South Africa to understand (1) their motivation for participating in SM training, (2) skills gained from training and (3) perceived impact of training on CHW health behavior, both personally and as health professionals. Method. Nineteen rural CHWs who completed an SM training participated in face-to-face semistructured interviews. Transcripts were independently coded by two researchers using the thematic framework approach. Findings. CHWs felt empowered to change their health behavior by skills such as goal setting and action planning, and by growth in self-awareness and confidence. They expressed that their desire to help others motivated them to participate in SM training. Conclusion. SM training programs that address practice skill gaps hold promise in producing health behavior changes for rural CHWs and their clients.

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