Public Understanding of and Engagement With Community Health Workers and Promotores de Salud: Findings From Two National Surveys.

Abstract

Introduction: Community health workers (CHWs) can improve health by helping people navigate health care services and systems and connecting them to community services that address nonmedical factors such as food insecurity, housing, and transportation. While CHWs have long been part of the US public health system, there are no data, to our knowledge, on the public's familiarity and interactions with CHWs.

Methods: We analyzed data from the 2022 Porter Novelli FallStyles and Estilos surveys, online market research surveys of the general public delivered in English (FallStyles) or primarily Spanish (Estilos). Each survey asked the same 4 questions on familiarity and interactions with CHWs, including, for respondents reporting having interacted with CHWs, the types of issues CHWs helped them with.

Results: Of 3,410 FallStyles respondents, 52.1% were familiar with CHWs, and 16.7% had interacted with a CHW. Of 954 Estilos respondents, 62.4% were familiar with CHWs, and 42.0% had interacted with a CHW. Among respondents who indicated being helped by CHWs, the majority encountered CHWs in health care settings (60.8% of FallStyles respondents; 64.2% of Estilos respondents) and less than one-quarter reported encountering CHWs in their community or place of worship (21% of FallStyles respondents; 22.2% of Estilos respondents).

Conclusion: A large proportion of people who are Hispanic or Latino are familiar with or have had interactions with CHWs. The low levels of familiarity with CHWs among FallStyles respondents highlight opportunities for greater public awareness and understanding of the multifaceted role and scope of the CHW workforce across public health, health care, and community settings to enhance the health and wellness of all people.