Acción Para La Salud

The Arizona Prevention Research Center and our partners developed this CHW Advocacy/Leadership Curriculum Guide because we know that public health is about improving the health of communities and that communities are most likely to become healthier when acting upon themselves (i.e., from within). Promotores de salud, or community health workers, are powerful agents for positive change within their communities. It is our sincere hope that this guide will be used by and for CHWs and their agencies to enhance their community advocacy and leadership skills in a way that benefits them and their communities.

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Steps Forward/Pasos Adelante Curriculum

The evidence-based Steps Forward/Pasos Adelante curriculum focuses on healthy food choices and preparation, chronic disease risk, community health, and participant advocacy. It is an adaptation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) program Your Heart, Your Life/Su corazón, su vida. The adaptation of the curriculum occurred in partnership with community health outreach workers from the Mariposa Community Health Center (MCHC) in Nogales, Arizona and Regional Center for Border Health, Inc./Western Area Health Education Center (RCBH/WAHEC) in Somerton, Arizona and faculty and staff at The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. The Steps Forward/Pasos Adelante program expands the NHLBI’s Your Heart, Your Life/Su corazón, su vida curriculum to include additional information about diabetes, community advocacy, and how to organize walking groups. In addition, the Steps Forward/Pasos Adelante curriculum has been expanded to include information on emotional/mental health. The program focuses on increasing regular physical activity and healthy food choices.

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Diabetes and the Family/La Diabetes y La Unión Familiar Curriculum

The evidence-based Diabetes and the Family is a health promotion and disease prevention program designed for individuals with diabetes and their families. The program focuses on (1) providing families with basic information about diabetes, (2) teaching health behaviors associated with primary and secondary prevention of diabetes and its complications such as CVD and depression, and (3) suggesting ways that family members can support each other to manage and prevent diabetes in their families. This program was first developed by the Border Health Strategic Initiative) between 2002 and 2003, and adapted by the Canyon Ranch Center for Prevention and Health Promotion (Center) in 2005. Both the original program development and the later adaptation used collaboration among the Center and community health agencies, including promotoras, who serve in the Arizona U.S.-Mexico border counties. This adapted version of Diabetes and the Family was modified for the purpose of the Center family component, implemented by local promotoras. The curriculum’s health education information on diabetes, diet, exercise, depression and social support was expanded with information on how to prevent cardiovascular diseases that was adapted from the manual Your Heart, Your Life, and with additional materials from SONRISA, a curriculum toolbox for promotores to address depression associated with diabetes.

English Version | Versión en Español


SONRISA: A Curriculum Toolbox for Promotores/Community Health Workers to Address Mental/Emotional Health Associated with Diabetes

SONRISA was designed for promotores/Community Health Workers (CHWs) to use in their work with clients to prevent or manage diabetes and its mental/emotional health complications. It was developed in response to a need expressed by promotoras working with the Border Health Strategic Initiative (BHSI) program and CRCPHP community partners. Addressing depression and other mental/emotional distress along with diabetes will increase the effectiveness of chronic disease prevention and health promotion interventions. Growing out of a community-based participatory research project, the bilingual curriculum was completed in December 2005.

SONRISA Toolbox (English Version) | SONRISA Toolbox (Versión en Español)


Promotora Community Health Manual

The Promotora Community Health Manual: Developing a Community-Based Diabetes Self-Management Program provides a conceptual framework for designing or refining a program of community support for diabetes self-management. This guide, developed by promotores, or community health workers, from Campesions Sin Fronteras with assistance from the Arizona Prevention Research Center, is designed for community health workers, but is also a useful tool for supervisors and program managers in both community-based and clinical settings. The overall objectives of the manual are: 1) to provide a general orientation to the philosophy and preparation of promotores/as or community health workers; 2) to explore aspects of diabetes self-management that may not be addressed in clinical care, such as managing stress and depression, the inclusion of the family in promoting self-management, and the role of spirituality in caring for diabetes; 3) to provide promotores/as and programs with practical strategies, tools, and suggestions that will assist them in working effectively with their community; and 4) to consider programmatic aspects of a clinical versus a grassroots program for a promotor/a diabetes self-management program.

English Version | Versión en Español

You can learn more about this curriculum and its development Here!


Vivir Mejor!

This lay manual is intended to support community health workers (CHWs), CHW supervisors, and CHW organizations seeking to extend evidence-based disease prevention programming using community-based volunteers (referred to as lay leaders). To this end, we present guidelines developed by CHWs for recruiting, training, and supporting lay leaders. Recommendations are intended to be non-content specific, equally applicable to any disease prevention focus. Click here for more information.


AzPAPRN+

AzPAPRN is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of researchers and leaders committed to raising awareness of and developing strong evidence, policies and priorities about active living in rural communities through shared research and evaluation. This Working Group is a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Physical Activity Policy Network Plus (PAPRN+). The AzPAPRN+ developed a sharing community engagement toolkit available for download.