Tu Salud ¡Sí Cuenta!

Your Health Matters!

Today's Monday afternoon lecture was on the Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) method. "CBPR focuses on involving researchers and community representatives in all phases of a research process. The joint effort engages community members, employs local knowledge in the understanding of health problems and the design of interventions, and invests community members in the processes and products of research. In addition, the collaborative is invested in the dissemination and use of research findings to improve community health and reduce health disparities." [CDC-PRC Program, 2007] Working with the community, the two major issues that were raised as a part of were physical activity and healthful eating.

Brownsville, TX is a very unique community. In the city I grew up in and many other cities, individuals going door to door is generally not receptive in the community. At home, people going door to door are either Avon sales ladies, the newspaper girl asking for her dollar, or religious groups such as Jehova's Witnesses. For the first two groups you may answer the door to say thank you but you're not interested and for the last group, at least in my home, we'd turn off the lights and pretend no one was home. This community is different though, much of the door to door interactions are accepted here which makes for a great health education method. Promotoras (community health promoters) go out into the community with various health materials as a part of the Tu Salud ¡Sí Cuenta! project.

Tu Salud ¡Sí Cuenta! is involved beyond the door way also. They run television health segments, radio novelas, newspaper articles in the Brownsville Herald, and monthly newsletters that are passed out door to door as well as at health centers. All of these materials include healthier food options, ways and locations to exercise, community role models, and public health professions and experts.

Here's some health stats that has come out of the research that's been done here... this shows how much there is to do with health here, and if these problems are now, that means things will more than likely get worse for a generation before they'll get better. 37% of the U.S. average is obese compared to 52% obese in Cameron County. The county has a 9% extreme obesity as compared to the national average of 4.5%. Only 16% of Cameron county is normal weight. Interesting stat: 27% of Texans speak only Spanish, here in Brownsville 87% speak only Spanish.

Also interesting is the high unemployment rate here, which has been fairly recession resistant, due to the lower paying jobs, works to encourage health here in the Valley. Since such a high number of women do not work here, they are more easily reached by health educators. They and their families, since most of the women are in charge of the health of their family, can take advantage of health improving activities and trainings that occur mostly during the day time or early evening.

And final side note for this posting... Theories make so much more sense in context and when they can be seen in use within community health programs. I finally understand the importance of being theory based. This internship is really helping my to apply this past year of classes... I guess that's the point of an internship :)