CHSU Discovery

Background: Cultural competence and humility are vital components of healthcare, and aid in closing disparity gaps among underserved populations. One way to incorporate cultural competence and humility is through community-based education models that cater to a population’s needs and concerns. In collaboration with Camarena Health, a virtual home visitation and asthma management program, led by Promotoras (community health workers), was implemented among patients in the San Joaquin Valley. This study assesses the program’s impacts on the participants’ asthma knowledge and control. Methods and Analysis: Promotoras from Camarena Health conducted 5-week-long virtual asthma intervention programs from June 2021 to June 2022 amongst 67 participants in the San Joaquin Valley. Surveys were conducted before and after the program to evaluate the participants’ knowledge and control of asthma, and home characteristics. Statistical analysis of survey data was performed using IBM SPSS, ver. 29.0. Results: After the intervention, participants demonstrated improvement in management and knowledge of asthma: in the education module, average scores increased from 53% to 77% and there was a significant decrease in “not sure” responses” from 20.5% to 5% (p<0.001). There was an increase in adult asthma control in the “somewhat/well/completely controlled” category from 86.4% to 95.5% (p<0.001). There was also an increase in the number of participants that consulted with a provider or Promotora compared to 12 months before the intervention. Overall, participants reported that this program greatly helped them in improving their control, knowledge, and approach toward asthma.