Educating Community Health Workers to address health and equity impacts of climate change

Abstract Background Community Health Workers (CHWs) are a promising workforce for addressing health and equity impacts of climate change in communities. Yet, CHWs currently lack comprehensive climate change training. We co-developed two online, self-paced courses with and for Michigan CHWs, covering basics of climate change, its connection to health and health equity, and practical ways to integrate this information into existing practice. Objectives We aim to increase CHW awareness of how climate change is connected to health and health equity, as well as their confidence in addressing these issues with people they serve. We developed and disseminated these educational opportunities over the course of five years, using a popular education approach and prioritizing CHW co-development. We used a post-pilot evaluation survey to answer the following questions: (1) To what extent do the courses increase CHW awareness of the connections between climate change, health, and health equity? (2) To what extent do the courses increase CHW confidence in addressing health and equity issues related to climate change with people they serve? Results Of CHWs sampled (n = 63) who completed Pilot 1, Climate Change Impacts for CHWs, 87% reported increased understanding of how climate change impacts community health; 69% reported more confidence in communicating with people they serve about health impacts of climate change. Of CHWs sampled (n = 54) who completed Pilot 2, Climate Change and Health Equity, 87% reported increased knowledge of how climate change is connected to health equity; 87% reported more confidence in communicating climate change health impacts to people they serve. Conclusions Pilot results indicate that these courses can increase CHW knowledge of health and equity impacts of climate change and CHW confidence in addressing these with people they serve. This innovative, co-creative approach could be applied in any country/setting where this knowledge can support CHW objectives. Key messages • This training builds climate change-related health and health equity knowledge into existing CHW knowledge and practice using a co-creative approach. • Providing climate change, health, and health equity training can increase CHW knowledge of and confidence in communicating about health and equity impacts of climate change with people they serve.