Sisters for Heart Health: A Community Health Worker Initiative for Improving Heart Health in Farmworker Women
Emory University
Summary
The goal of this hybrid Type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial is to test the extent to which a peer support and community resource navigation intervention improves psychological well-being, addresses non-biologic drivers of health (access to healthcare, supportive services, nutrition, housing stability, transportation, chronic stress, social support), and thus reduces cardiometabolic risk among rural, low-income farmworker women aged 18-50 years. The main questions it aims to answer are: * If and to what extent does the intervention reduce stress, social isolation, and psychological distress by improving social support and access to needed resources? * If and to what extent does the intervention improve cardiometabolic health, measured by the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score? Researchers will compare the CHW-led Sisters for Heart Health intervention to a Basic intervention (LE8 assessment and resource information) to assess the effect of peer support and community resource navigation on heart health outcomes.
Description
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in U.S. women, with a concerning rise in CVD mortality among women under 65-particularly those aged 35-44. Rural, farmworker women face disproportionate risk factors and health burdens related to CVD, yet they remain underrecognized and insufficiently reached in prevention efforts. Although about 45% of women above the age of 20 are affected by CVD, only 44% of women recognize CVD as their top health threat Women farmworkers in rural areas face a compounded risk due to the convergence of biological and non-biological drivers of health.…