Vaccine hesitancy and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted global immunization coverage. In India, efforts to address this through community ownership, involving community health workers (CHWs) and local leaders, are limited. Community ownership empowers communities to play a central role in vaccine strategies. This project in India aimed to strengthen … [Read more...] about Leading from the frontlines community-oriented approaches for strengthening vaccine delivery and acceptance
India
Integration of a tobacco cessation program into a rural community-based maternal and child health program in India: A stakeholders’ perspective on task shifting
In rural India, where tobacco use among pregnant women is prevalent, a study explored the feasibility of task-shifting tobacco cessation support to female Community Health Workers (CHWs) within maternal and child health (MCH) programs. Through interviews and focus groups, stakeholders expressed willingness to integrate cessation interventions into existing MCH services. CHWs … [Read more...] about Integration of a tobacco cessation program into a rural community-based maternal and child health program in India: A stakeholders’ perspective on task shifting
Equity and empowerment effects: Multiple styles of ‘voluntarism’ in community-based health projects.
Community health workers (CHWs), often volunteers or minimally paid, play vital roles in addressing health disparities. This study focuses on "change-agent" CHWs in an Indian nutrition education program.The analysis reveals challenges in volunteer selection, tensions between volunteer expectations, training and empowerment, and varied perspectives on CHWs payments. While … [Read more...] about Equity and empowerment effects: Multiple styles of ‘voluntarism’ in community-based health projects.
“We are everyone’s ASHAs but who’s there for us?” a qualitative exploration of perceptions of work stress and coping among rural frontline workers in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Over a million female village-level health workers known as 'Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs)' in India are experiencing significant stress due to demanding work and low pay, compounded by poverty and gender inequality. Through qualitative research, the study delved into ASHAs' views on work stress and their coping mechanisms. The findings highlighted specific … [Read more...] about “We are everyone’s ASHAs but who’s there for us?” a qualitative exploration of perceptions of work stress and coping among rural frontline workers in Madhya Pradesh, India.
Equity and empowerment effects: Multiple styles of ‘voluntarism’ in community-based health projects
Community health workers (CHWs), often women without formal health training, play vital roles in addressing health disparities. This study examines a program employing CHWs as "change agents" to provide nutrition education in eastern India. It explores how different forms of voluntarism, such as laissez-faire and honorarium-based, influence CHW efficacy, empowerment, and … [Read more...] about Equity and empowerment effects: Multiple styles of ‘voluntarism’ in community-based health projects