to view the program - Society for Public Health Education

Experience Documentation Opportunity (EDO) and the MCHES
examination). The purpose of this presentation is to describe the
process of developing and marketing the webinar series and how Web
2.0 technologies were used to create the webinars to expand the reach
to varying audiences. In addition, a summary of the most requested
topics from webinar participants, will be discussed including: MCHES
examination, EDO process and results, and continuing education
contact hour (CECH) opportunities for MCHES. MCHES has
profound implications on the field, as it verifies an advanced-level of
practice. The implications of MCHES as verification of advancedlevel
practice in the field of health education will be also be discussed
26. *Synthesizing assets, goals, and resources for a health community:
Lessons learned from an ongoing partnership
Sujehy Arredondo, BS, The University of Texas at El Paso, Hispanic
Health Disparities Research Center; Francis Reyes, BS, The
University of Texas at El Paso, Hispanic Health Disparities Research
Center ; Holly Mata, MS,PhD (c), The University of Texas at El
Paso, Hispanic Health Disparities Research Center; Sharon Thompson,
MPH, PhD, The University of Texas at El Paso, Department of
Public Health Sciences
Community/academic collaboration to enhance health education
efforts in our region is a public health imperative. “Communitizing”
health education facilitates successful partnerships, increases perceived
competency among health education students, and increases
availability of and access to health education among diverse priority
populations. Having been part of an ongoing partnership between our
academic department, an NIH health disparities research center, and a
local community youth program, we provide insight, perspective, and
lessons learned from our collective 2 years working to enhance health
education research and practice in a bilingual and bicultural community
setting. Strategies grounded in principles of CBPR and community
partnering are highlighted, as are the importance of environmental
change, multilevel interventions, and culturally and linguistically
responsive health educators. Community youth programs are important
resources for our youth, and provide opportunities to reach young
people and families in comfortable settings. Health Educators have a
responsibility to tailor their materials and message to their audience,
and to provide accessible and relevant health information. Youth in our
community can benefit from participation in health education through
local youth programs. The need for such education is clear given the
low physical activity rates, high prevalence of overweight and obesity,
and elevated substance use rates in the U.S.-Mexico border region in
which we live and work. Our partnering agencies have collaborated
on grants (some funded, some not), disaster preparedness education
for subsidized young adult employees, community gang prevention
forums, healthy lifestyle programs for youth, and research projects to
reduce smoking prevalence and susceptibility among adolescents in
neighborhoods with high poverty rates and low educational attainment.
As student health educators who have honed our skills striving
to increase access to quality health education in our community, we
share our experience, successes, and lessons learned as a model for
others hoping to develop sustainable partnerships between community
and academic partners.
27. Empowered to Act: How Freire’s Theory of Co-Intentional
Education Extends Cultural Competency and Increases
Community Engagement as Seen in the “Pedagogy of Action”
HIV/AIDS Prevention Program.
Jessica Moorman, MHS, Montefiore School Health Program
Background: Co-intentional education, described by Paolo Freire
in The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, substitutes didactic teaching for
a reciprocal model; viewing community members as equal partners
in education. Inherent in this theory are strategies of community
engagement and cultural competency, a systemic approach to health
care that seeks to increase the accessibility of information to minority
communities. Both strategies increase acceptance of a community
health programming, but neither is without limit. The University
of Michigan’s Pedagogy of Action Program is a low-literacy, HIV/
AIDS prevention module, rooted in Freire’s theory of co-intentional
education. The 15-minute, conversational module addresses HIV, its
affect on the immune system, its transformation to AIDS, transmission
prevention, and stigma mitigation. The Pedagogy of Action’s
methodology has the potential of extending the impact of community
engagement and cultural competency. Methods: Fifteen University
of Michigan students attended two, four-hour a week courses, for the
eight months prior to their work in primarily black South African
communities. Topics included Freirian theory, South African history,
culture, and societal factors that influence the HIV transmission.
Students were trained in the module and taught it in their own
community prior to entering their field site. While abroad, students
worked with elementary school children, custodians, and rural medical
students. Students taught the HIV/AIDS module in English.
Community members then taught the module back in English, to
ensure they understood the content. Once the community members
had successfully taught the module in English they then culturally
adapted and translated the module into their local language. Finally
they taught their modified version in their home community. Results:
As shown in preliminary focus group data, the Pedagogy of Action
Program has been able to effectively respond to cultural misrepresentations
of the HIV/AIDS virus; increase community participation in
health education program development; decrease misunderstandings
of HIV transmission; decrease stigma of those who have HIV/AIDS;
empower international community members to act as health educators
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SOPHE-NACDD 2011 Joint Academy and Midyear Scientific Meeting