A Multicomponent Health Education Campaign Led by Community Health Workers to Increase Influenza Vaccination among Migrants and Refugees.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of a Community Health Worker (CHW)-led influenza campaign on knowledge and attitudes about vaccination in Latinx migrant and refugee populations. METHODS: Twelve online workshops were conducted with 183 participants and 24 CHWs between January 12 and May 12, 2021. Participants were Latinx families living in underserved communities throughout Washington state. The initiative also included radio, animated videos, advertisements, social media, and educational materials. RESULTS: Analysis of pre and post workshop surveys from 155 participants showed statistically significant improvements in all questions about the definition of influenza, symptoms, and risks: and in 7 of 9 questions about treatments and vaccines. Analysis of 2 open-ended questions showed increases in words key to understanding influenza, such as "virus," "illness," "death," and "contagious." There were significant increases in rates of participants identifying vaccination and antibiotics as cures for influenza. CONCLUSIONS: CHW-led workshops can be an effective way to increase knowledge about influenza and influenza vaccine. Future curriculum should emphasize the difference between viruses and bacteria, and the use of vaccination for prevention as opposed to treatment for illness.

Correlation of Oral Health Education by Community Health Workers with Changes in Oral Health Practices in Migrant Populations in Washington State.

INTRODUCTION: An important question for oral health education is whether knowledge gained during lay-led workshops is retained and applied in daily practice. This study assessed the knowledge retention and changes in oral health practices several months after oral health education workshops were held for migrant farmworkers by Community Health Workers (CHWs). METHODS AND RESULTS: Follow-up surveys were conducted with 32 participants 1 to 43 months post participation (60% between 6 and 21 months). The results showed a high degree of retention, in such areas as general oral health knowledge, and brushing/flossing frequency and technique among this sample. There was no relationship between length of time since the educational workshop and knowledge retained or behaviors changed. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: An interactive, lay-led oral health education program run by CHWs can be an effective way to deliver sustained improvements in oral health knowledge and changes in oral health practice in migrant populations.