Title
Community Health Agents Advancing Women’s Empowerment: A Qualitative Data Analysis
Date Issued
01 October 2022
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Allen E.M.
Llanten C.
Knep M.E.
Van Skiba M.J.
Catholic Medical Mission Board
Publisher(s)
Springer
Abstract
Community health agents (CHAs) play a critical role in primary healthcare delivery and health promotion in low-resource settings. Though there is substantial evidence of the benefits of CHAs in achieving targeted community health outcomes, there is limited research into the impact of empowerment experienced by CHAs themselves. This study examined how working as a CHA impacts the lives and self-perceptions of women in Peru volunteering with Catholic Medical Mission Board’s (CMMB) markedly successful robust CHA model. We conducted six focus group discussions (FGDs) of 53 CHAs who implement CMMB programming in Trujillo and Huancayo, Peru. The FGDs were designed to explore themes related to empowerment, changes in women’s lives, and perceptions of themselves. We identified four major themes related to women’s empowerment: achievements, agency, meaningfulness, and resources. The most common empowerment theme was achievements, expressed through subthemes of changes in family behavior, self worth, education, health and nutrition, and rights and politics. The second most common empowerment theme was agency, with subthemes related to increases in using their voice, confidence, decision making, and participation. CHAs also reported experiencing empowerment through enhanced meaningfulness. CMMB’s CHA model is an example of how well-structured community programs can facilitate women’s empowerment. Providing meaningful community leadership opportunities can have far-reaching effects on women’s perceptions of themselves as valuable, capable, and empowered leaders. This work deepens our understanding of how to practically improve community health through empowering women to catalyze gender equality in communities with disproportionate barriers and limited opportunities burdening them.
Start page
806
End page
813
Volume
47
Issue
5
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Salud pública, Salud ambiental
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85132753652
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Community Health
ISSN of the container
00945145
Sponsor(s)
The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the CMMB study teams in Trujillo and Huancayo, Peru for their coordination and logistical support including Astrid Ponce and Nancy Castillo. We would also like to acknowledge Cecilia Izarra for her continued support of the CMMB CHW programing and work towards facilitating this study. We also acknowledge efforts from MPH student Sif Nave for her coordination of the study team. Finally, we would like to thank the CHAs for their participation in this study and continued work helping women and children in their communities. The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the CMMB study teams in Trujillo and Huancayo, Peru for their coordination and logistical support including Astrid Ponce and Nancy Castillo. We would also like to acknowledge Cecilia Izarra for her continued support of the CMMB CHW programing and work towards facilitating this study. We also acknowledge efforts from MPH student Sif Nave for her coordination of the study team. Finally, we would like to thank the CHAs for their participation in this study and continued work helping women and children in their communities.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus