WORKING WITH LAY HEALTH EDUCATORS IN A RURAL CANCER-PREVENTION PROGRAM

Objective: To describe procedures for working with lay health educator s in a rural cancer prevention program. Methods: Process evaluation of traditional personnel methodology indicated problems during the early phases of the program. This necessitated modifications in procedures. Results: Adopting methods more in concert with Native American modes of communication were more beneficial. Conclusion: Experience suggests that lay health educators can be valuable team members in health-educ ation programs. Sensitivity to cultural differences and a high degree of flexibility maybe required in recruitment, training, and supervisio n.