Individual Empowerment: How Community Health Workers Operationalize Self-Determination, Self-Sufficiency, and Decision-Making Abilities of Low-Income Mothers

The purposes of this study were to operationalize individual empowerment within the context of the MOMobile Program, to explore the relationships formed between MOMobile Advocates and their clients, and to develop an appropriate survey instrument for assessing the impact of a Community Health Worker (CHW) intervention in a community-based social service agency. Phase I of a multiphase study used focus group interviews with MOMobile Advocates to operationalize empowerment, define their professional roles, and explore the relationships formed with their clients. This article focuses specifically on operationalizing individual empowerment and describing the relationships formed between the Advocates and their clients. Three major themes emerged: (1) the importance of relationships established between Advocates and their clients, (2) the resources available to the clients, and (3) the ability of Advocates to become change agents for their clients. The Community Health Worker (CHW) model is effective for health promotion in disadvantaged communities. MOMobile Advocates improve quality of life by fostering better patient-provider communication, continuity of care, and help-seeking behavior and by expanding the women's social support systems. Research examining relationships between CHWs and the mothers they assist is needed to assess the full impact of this construct as a health status indicator. (Contains 2 figures.)