Table 1 Community Health Worker (CHW) Intervention Curriculum
Session Topic | Session Overview | Tailored Cultural Components |
|---|---|---|
Session 1: Blood Pressure and the Cardiovascular System | Icebreaker/Introduction and Session Guidelines | • Highlight local health and social services resources, as well as risk factors for South Asians |
1.How the heart works & heart structure | ||
2. What is blood pressure and hypertension (BP numbers) | ||
3. How to check your blood pressure (demo and practice) | ||
4. Risk factors of hypertension | ||
5. Ways to manage blood pressure: healthy diet, physical activity, medicine (overview) | ||
6. Signs of heart attack and stroke & Emergency Plan | ||
7. Physical Activity Exercises (demo and practice) | ||
Session 2: Healthy eating | 1.Traditional South Asian diets (discussion) | • Food examples tailored for South Asian diets and dietary practices |
2. Building a healthy plate (Using Plate Method) | ||
3. How to choose heart healthy foods | ||
4. Salt and sodium | ||
5. How to understand a nutrition label | ||
6. Alcohol | ||
7. Tips for healthy eating while out, with little time, and on a budget | ||
8. Setting healthy eating goals | ||
Session 3: Physical Activity and Stress Management | 1. Importance of physical activity | • Use of Asian BMI guidelines |
2. What is a healthy weight/BMI? | • Realistic exercise options in NYC communities | |
3. Calorie balance and the healthy way to lose weight | • Discussions on major stressors and ways to reduce stresses in South Asian context | |
4. Ways to be active, build activity into your day, and stay motivated | ||
5. Sample exercises and walking program | ||
6. Setting physical activity goals | ||
7. Effect of stress on the body | ||
8. Emotions like anger, frustration, sadness, worry | ||
9. Strategies to manage stress improve self-esteem | ||
Session 4: CVD risk factors: cholesterol, blood sugar, & smoking | 1. Facts about saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol | • Discussion of CVD risk factors, including smoking and tobacco use, is contextualized into South Asian context |
2. Understanding nutrition labels | ||
3. Healthier cooking tips | ||
4. Diabetes - What is it, types, and symptoms | ||
5. Complications of diabetes & diabetes control | ||
6. Hidden sugar in drinks activity | ||
7. Effect of smoking and tobacco use on health | ||
Session 5: Health Communication, Healthcare access & sessions review | 1. Communicating with doctors | • Discussion of barriers to healthcare for South Asian patients |
2. Barriers to healthcare access | ||
3. Preparing for a doctor visit | ||
4. Accessing health care | ||
5. Review of all sessions |