KDHRC received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop and evaluate the “Supplying Useful Perimenopause through Post-menopause Online Resources and Tools,” (SUPPORT) program. SUPPORT is an evidence-based online professional development course designed to prepare community health workers (CHWs) to conduct health outreach to African American women and Latinas experiencing menopause.
The Challenge
Menopause is a biologically universal experience for women. Every year, between one and two million women in the United States experience menopause. With life expectancy increasing, women are spending more than 33% of their lifetime in menopause. Menopause signals many physical and mental changes in women; however, many women report not feeling prepared for or informed about menopausal transition and its effects on their bodies. This poses a challenge because menopause is associated with negative mental, emotional, and social health outcomes. Additionally, African American women and Latinas experience earlier and worse menopause symptoms than other women. In addition to other factors like education background, income, exercise, and diet, lack of treatment and representation in clinical trials may contribute to the health differences in menopause. African American women and Latinas, therefore, are in need of additional support in preparing for and living with menopause.
Our Approach
CHWs are frontline health workers who educate, support, and provide resources to the members of the community they serve. CHWs often serve in at-risk communities, typically through community clinics or other local organizations, due to their proven success in delivering outreach that enhances health outcomes. CHWs are ideally positioned to educate and support women because they are trusted members of the community, are familiar with their communities’ needs and resources, understand lived and cultural experiences, and institute positive change at the organizational and individual levels.
In a KDHRC market research study, 94% of CHWs said they would benefit from a menopause training, and 85% believed that minority women would be willing to talk to CHWs about menopause. Therefore, training CHWs to conduct high-impact outreach to women before and during menopause with tailored information and resources is an ideal, evidence-based approach to affect community-level change.
SUPPORT will include four video-based lessons with topics including an overview of menopause, impacts of menopause on mental health, and supporting women through menopause as a CHW. SUPPORT will also include interactive learning experiences for CHWs, artificial intelligence enhancements, and downloadable and printable resources for CHW to share with women.
Next Steps
KDHRC will develop the CHW professional development course and conduct a feasibility evaluation among CHWs. Come back soon for an update on our study!
