A recent study led by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine has shown that patients with hypertension who are paired with a community health worker (CHW) are over three times more likely to achieve blood pressure control within six months compared to those who are not.
Published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, the research indicates that similar CHW interventions could aid other underserved, immigrant communities facing similar health disparities.
Understanding the Role of CHWs
Community health workers are usually lay members of a community who share ethnicity, language, income level, and/or life experiences with the people they serve.
Previous research has highlighted the effectiveness of CHW-led programs in improving blood pressure in community settings such as churches and barbershops.
This new study is the first to examine this type of intervention in primary care practices catering specifically to South Asian Americans.
The South Asian community has a higher than average risk for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes, even at lower body weights and younger ages compared to other racial/ethnic groups.
They also face significant social and cultural barriers to managing chronic diseases and accessing healthcare.
Study Details and Results
The study enrolled 303 South Asian patients with elevated blood pressure from 14 primary care practices in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx.
Participants were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups after receiving a group education session about hypertension management.
The treatment group received four additional group sessions and biweekly individualized health coaching from a CHW.
After six months, 68% of the treatment group had controlled blood pressure, compared to 42% of the control group.
The final adjusted analysis showed that members of the treatment group were 3.7 times more likely to achieve normal blood pressure at the six-month follow-up compared to the control group.
Next Steps: Applying the Intervention to More Health Conditions
Lead study author Nadia Islam, Ph.D., plans to examine the impact of CHW interventions on underserved patients with comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes, and eventually on mental health.
The researchers hope that this highly effective intervention will eventually be covered as a reimbursable expense by health insurance companies.
They are also collaborating with NYU Langone Health system to adapt this model for NYU Langone’s faculty group practices.
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The study was published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
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