Chinese women health ambassadors programme: A process evaluation

Area of Science:

• Community health
• Health promotion
• Lay health advisor model

Background:

• Chronic disease prevention is a health sector priority.
• Health promotion programs must be accessible, acceptable, and culturally relevant for community engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility, effectiveness, implementation, and sustainability of a community-based women health ambassadors program.
• Identify successful areas and areas for improvement in the program.

Main Methods:

• A women health ambassador program was implemented in Hong Kong (Nov 2014-Feb 2015) using the lay health advisor model.
• Eighty women were trained by university health educators.
• Program evaluation included attendance, questionnaires, quizzes, and qualitative discussions.

Main Results:

• Participants found the program valuable, though retention rates were suboptimal.
• A statistically significant improvement in eating habits was observed.
• No significant changes were noted in other knowledge and behavior assessments.

Conclusions:

• The program empowered underprivileged women to prioritize and promote health within their communities.
• Lay health advisor models are effective for health promotion, supporting large-scale implementation.
• Future programs should focus on delivering brief, clear health messages.