Once a Navegante, Always a Navegante: Latino Men Sustain Their Roles as Lay Health Advisors to Promote General and Sexual Health to Their Social Network.
Little is known about the sustainability of male- and men's health-focused lay health advisors. HoMBReS Por un Cambio was a community-level social network intervention designed to improve sexual health among Latino men who were members of soccer teams. During the year after the intervention implementation, lay health advisors (Navegantes) continued to promote sexual health; over 84% (16 of the 19) Navegantes conducted 9 of 10 primary health promotion activities. Describing where to get condoms was the activity that the most Navegantes reported having conducted. Navegantes had broad reach with their social networks, although the number of Navegantes that conducted each activity differed across the categories of social network members (soccer teammates, nonteammates, and women). Results suggest that HIV-related health disparities may be addressed through lay health advisor interventions because they are sustained after the intervention ends and reach large numbers of community members.
Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and now with the School of Community Health, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon.
Christina J
CJ
Sun
Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Lilli
L
Mann
Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Eugenia
E
Eng
Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Mario
M
Downs
Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Scott D
SD
Rhodes
D000328:Adult; D003256:Community Participation; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054526:Men's Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D060728:Reproductive Health; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D012916:Soccer; D012944:Social Support