P30 Pilot Grant (Environmental Health)
Stage One: Focus Groups and Surveys
In stage one, the interdisciplinary team consisting of a social work scholar (Dr. Antle) with expertise in community engagement and nursing/environmental health scholar (Dr. Huntington-Moskos) will conduct a rigorous needs assessment of environmental health concerns and health disparities. This project will assess the needs of two refugee/immigrant populations in the Louisville area through committed partnerships (letters available) with See Forward Ministries (African populations), Backside Clinic/Learning Center and South Jefferson Neighborhood Place (Hispanic/Latinx populations).
The needs assessment will consist of 12 focus groups (8 for See Forward to represent their 8 neighborhood clusters; 2 for Backside Clinic/Learning Center, and 2 for South Jefferson Neighborhood Place), as well as surveys of community members and providers to explore environmental factors affecting these populations. The target sample size for the needs assessment surveys is 200; surveys will be distributed in person at agency locations and on-line using social media, web-sites, and email distribution.
Stage Two: Educational Workshops
In stage two of the project, the results of the needs assessment will be used to develop community education workshops on topics of identified concerns, as well as training for providers at the partner organizations in advocacy, resources, and health literacy. A total of 9 workshops will be provided (2 community education sessions, 1 provider training at each of the 3 sites). Dr. Huntington-Moskos will contribute her expertise in the design and implementation of this programming, and the resources of the Community Engagement Core will be leveraged to optimize success.
A participatory action research approach will be used for the project, through which community members and providers from the partner organizations will work with investigators to co-develop needs assessment tools, analyze and interpret results, and design education/training programs for the target populations. Research will evaluate the needs of these populations, as well as the effectiveness of education/training programs to increase awareness, advocacy and community/individual change behaviors, and well-being. We are partnering with the Community Engagement Core around training/education and the TRSC to develop a subsequent R01 to NIEHS with other CIEHS scholars around the identified needs/priorities of the communities.
