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. 2024 Jun;41(2):195-200.
doi: 10.1111/hir.12528. Epub 2024 Apr 14.

Exploring the learning preferences of farmworker-serving community health workers

Hannah Gordon  1 , Genesis Ramirez  1 , Emery L Harwell  1 , Jamie E Bloss  2 , Raúl Gámez  3 , Catherine E LePrevost  1
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Free article

Exploring the learning preferences of farmworker-serving community health workers

Hannah Gordon et al. Health Info Libr J. 2024 Jun.
Free article

Abstract

Community health workers are responsible for finding, processing, and transferring health information to communities with limited access to health-related resources, including farmworkers. This paper is the culmination of an undergraduate student research project to explore the learning processes and preferences of farmworker-serving community health workers in the USA. The project was designed for students from farmworker or agricultural backgrounds at two North Carolina universities and was supported by a North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services workforce development grant. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, in person and virtually, with a convenience sample of 17 current and former community health workers. The interview data were analysed thematically and identified a preference for a combination of learning styles, with visual and hands-on learning being the most preferred. Community health workers also identified the importance of learning preferences in relation to their responsibilities as health educators. This study provides librarians, along with public health and medical professionals, with useful information about learning preferences to inform the creation of new and varied learning materials for community health workers.

Keywords: health disparities; health education; health information needs; health professionals; health services research; information dissemination; information skills; learning; library outreach; patient education.

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References

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