Community Health Workers Using Patient Stories to Support Hypertension Managemen

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Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for all persons living in the United States, and hypertension (HTN) is a strong risk factor. Uncontrolled HTN is more likely among Blacks, Hispanics, and the poor. We need new interventions to improve HTN control and narrow persistent racial/ethnic gaps. Community health workers (CHWs) represent patient groups they serve in terms of language, culture, and social situation. While there is tremendous potential for CHWs to assist patients with adherence to chronic disease self-management regimens, this potential has yet to been fully realized. This project builds on our prior research demonstrating that CHWs in community health centers can work directly with people with diabetes to improve self-management goal setting for diet, exercise, and medication adherence. More specifically, we will integrate a new and powerful behavior-change tool in the CHWs' armamentarium: storytelling by