CHANGES IN EMPOWERMENT - EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION IN A LAY HEALTH PROMOTION PROGRAM

The Camp Health Aide Program is a lay health promotion program for mig rant and seasonal farmworkers. The program increases access to health care while facilitating leadership development and empowerment of indi vidual farmworkers through training and experience as lay health promo ters (camp health aides [CHAs]). This article describes a study which documents impacts on the CHAs of working as lay health promoters in te rms of changes in personal empowerment. The authors developed a workin g definition of personal empowerment and interviewed 27 CHAs at three program sites (Arizona, New Jersey, and Florida) at three different ti mes. CHAs are grouped in five descriptive categories reflecting varyin g degrees of change in empowerment over this period. Of the total grou p of 27 CHAs, 24 exhibited some increase in personal empowerment durin g the study period. These changes are described in detail, and implica tions are discussed.