UC Santa Barbara

Promotoras de salud are community health workers that mostly help the underserved members of Latinx communities. They seek to reduce health disparities through community engagement and work that is voluntary or mostly unpaid. While there is evidence that promotoras aid in prevention, follow-up care, and treatment adherence, little is known about promotoras themselves, specifically, the impact that fulfilling their roles has on their views of themselves and their service identities. Fourteen Spanish-speaking, Latina promotoras were interviewed individually about their experiences and their motivation for the role. Four themes emerged from the content analysis of the participant responses: "Uno Nace Siendo Promotora:" One is Born Being a Promotora, "Poner Esa Semillita:" To Plant a Seed by Sharing Knowledge, "Es un Regalo Ser Promotora:" It is a Gift to be a Promotora, and "Se Hace por Amor pero también Hay Necesidad:" A Labor of Love but there are Needs too. The findings show that assuming and enacting the promotora role had positive benefits, both personal and professional, despite the often-limited recognition they received. The findings have multiple implications for the development of health and prevention programs, particularly for those that involve promotoras de salud.