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. 2012 Aug;23(3):988-99.
doi: 10.1353/hpu.2012.0097.

Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: a NHLBI/HRSA collaborative employing community health workers to improve heart health

Ritabelle Fernandes, Kathryn L Braun, Jovonni R Spinner, Cynthia Sturdevant, Sharonne J Ancheta, Sheryl R Yoshimura, Merlita Compton, Jo-Hsi Wang, Carolyn J Lee

Healthy Heart, Healthy Family: a NHLBI/HRSA collaborative employing community health workers to improve heart health

Ritabelle Fernandes et al. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2012 Aug.

Abstract

Kokua Kalihi Valley, a federally qualified health center in Hawaii, collaborated with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to test the efficacy of community health workers (CHWs) to deliver the Healthy Heart, Healthy Family curriculum to low-income Filipinos with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. At 12 months, significant improvements were seen in health behaviors, knowledge, and self-efficacy in managing chronic diseases. We also observed decreases in total cholesterol from 186.25 mg/dl to 170.88 mg/dl (p=.001), low-density lipoprotein from 114.43 mg/dl to 103.04 mg/dl (p=.013), and fasting blood glucose from 117.95 mg/dl to 109.07 mg/dl (p=.034). Although these changes were statistically significant, they are small and not clinically meaningful in reducing CVD risk. The high-density lipoprotein was 3.3 mg/dl lower (worse) at 12 months (p=.003), mean values for blood pressure, BMI, and waist circumference increased. Community health workers can be trained to deliver evidence-based curricula that improve health behaviors and increase self-efficacy in managing chronic diseases.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical measures at baseline and 12 months (n= 92). TC = Total cholesterol LDL = Low-density lipoprotein HDL = High-density lipoprotein SBP = Systolic blood pressure DBP = Diastolic blood pressure HbA1c = Glycosylated hemoglobin BMI = Body mass index WC = Waist circumference FBG = Fasting blood glucose
Figure 2
Figure 2
Stages of hypertension at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months (n=92).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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