Assessing lay health advisor activity in an intervention to prevent lead poisoning in Native American children

The purpose of this study is to assess patterns of lay health advisor (LHA) activity in an intervention to reduce lead exposure in Native American children exposed to mine waste. A total of 39 LHAs were recruited and trained to become LHAs from eight tribes in northeastern Oklahoma. LHAs completed activity tracking forms over a 2-year intervention period to document contacts made with community groups and individuals in their social networks. They engaged in an average of 5.4 activities per month, reaching an average of 39 persons. Close members of their social networks were reached in 40.4% of the contacts; persons outside of their networks were reached in 24% of the contacts. This study suggests that 1 to 3 contacts per week may be a reasonable expectation for LHA activity. Findings also suggest that LHA interventions are a promising approach for engaging Native American communities in addressing an environmental health problem.