Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadership
Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a crucial role in the public health workforce, particularly within underserved communities where they enhance access to healthcare, address social determinants of health, and advocate for health-related policy changes. This Perspective examines how age and experi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1616506/full |
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| author | Venus Gines Joanna Rodriguez Diana Lobaina Lea Sacca Mariarebecca Torres Maria C. Mejia |
| author_facet | Venus Gines Joanna Rodriguez Diana Lobaina Lea Sacca Mariarebecca Torres Maria C. Mejia |
| author_sort | Venus Gines |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Community Health Workers (CHWs) play a crucial role in the public health workforce, particularly within underserved communities where they enhance access to healthcare, address social determinants of health, and advocate for health-related policy changes. This Perspective examines how age and experience influence CHWs’ involvement in workforce diversity initiatives, advocacy activities, and job satisfaction. Using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted among 306 CHWs during statewide workforce development events in Texas, United States, we identified significant generational and experiential differences in CHW engagement. Younger CHWs (aged 20–30 years) were significantly more inclined to prioritize mentorship and role modeling (p = 0.011), while older CHWs (aged 61 years and above) favored policy-driven advocacy (p = 0.003). Limited funding was the most frequently reported barrier (48.4%), and CHWs with less than 1 year of experience reported higher levels of organizational barriers and discrimination. Job satisfaction notably increased with age, reaching 73% among CHWs aged 61 years and older. These insights underscore the need for tailored strategies to strengthen workforce retention, leadership cultivation, and systemic support for CHWs, ultimately enhancing public health infrastructure. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0f706025f72647a3a8d8d6656b4c9142 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-0f706025f72647a3a8d8d6656b4c91422025-08-20T03:03:50ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-08-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.16165061616506Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadershipVenus Gines0Joanna Rodriguez1Diana Lobaina2Lea Sacca3Mariarebecca Torres4Maria C. Mejia5Dia de la Mujer Latina, Inc., Katy, TX, United StatesDepartment of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United StatesDepartment of Population Health, Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United StatesDepartment of Population Health, Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United StatesDepartment of Population Health, Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United StatesDepartment of Population Health, Schmidt College of Medicine, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, United StatesCommunity Health Workers (CHWs) play a crucial role in the public health workforce, particularly within underserved communities where they enhance access to healthcare, address social determinants of health, and advocate for health-related policy changes. This Perspective examines how age and experience influence CHWs’ involvement in workforce diversity initiatives, advocacy activities, and job satisfaction. Using data from a cross-sectional survey conducted among 306 CHWs during statewide workforce development events in Texas, United States, we identified significant generational and experiential differences in CHW engagement. Younger CHWs (aged 20–30 years) were significantly more inclined to prioritize mentorship and role modeling (p = 0.011), while older CHWs (aged 61 years and above) favored policy-driven advocacy (p = 0.003). Limited funding was the most frequently reported barrier (48.4%), and CHWs with less than 1 year of experience reported higher levels of organizational barriers and discrimination. Job satisfaction notably increased with age, reaching 73% among CHWs aged 61 years and older. These insights underscore the need for tailored strategies to strengthen workforce retention, leadership cultivation, and systemic support for CHWs, ultimately enhancing public health infrastructure.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1616506/fullcommunity health workersworkforce developmentpublic health leadershipgenerational differenceshealth equityhealth policy |
| spellingShingle | Venus Gines Joanna Rodriguez Diana Lobaina Lea Sacca Mariarebecca Torres Maria C. Mejia Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadership Frontiers in Public Health community health workers workforce development public health leadership generational differences health equity health policy |
| title | Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadership |
| title_full | Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadership |
| title_fullStr | Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadership |
| title_full_unstemmed | Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadership |
| title_short | Generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers: implications for public health workforce leadership |
| title_sort | generational perspectives and advocacy barriers among community health workers implications for public health workforce leadership |
| topic | community health workers workforce development public health leadership generational differences health equity health policy |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1616506/full |
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