CHWS flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Social determinants of health

Conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age, including economic stability, education, neighborhood, health care access, and social context, that shape health outcomes.

Health equity

The principle that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health, requiring removal of avoidable barriers such as poverty and discrimination.

Prevalence versus incidence

Prevalence is the proportion of a population with a condition at a point or period; incidence is the rate of new cases arising during a specified period.

Stages of change

Transtheoretical model stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance, with relapse representing a normal return to an earlier stage.

Motivational interviewing spirit

A collaborative conversation style built on partnership, acceptance, compassion, and evocation, designed to strengthen a person's own motivation and commitment to change.

OARS skills

Core motivational interviewing microskills: open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries, used to guide exploration and reinforce change talk.

Change talk

Client statements favoring movement toward a target behavior, including desire, ability, reasons, need, and commitment, which practitioners evoke and elaborate to support change.

SMART goals

Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, giving clear criteria for tracking progress and adjusting plans.

Self-efficacy

A person's belief in their capability to execute the actions needed to reach a goal, shaped by mastery experiences, vicarious learning, persuasion, and physiological states.

Adult physical activity guidelines

Adults should get at least 150 minutes weekly of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days.

Nutrient density

The amount of beneficial nutrients a food provides relative to its calories, with nutrient-dense foods contributing vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein without excess energy.

Body mass index

A screening ratio of weight in kilograms to height in meters squared, used to classify weight status but limited by inability to distinguish muscle from fat.

Food insecurity

Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods, or limited ability to acquire foods in socially acceptable ways, often screened with brief validated tools.

Added sugars limit

Dietary guidance recommends keeping added sugars below ten percent of daily calories, with stricter limits for children under two years of age.

General adaptation syndrome

Hans Selye's model describing alarm, resistance, and exhaustion stages of the body's response to sustained stress, with exhaustion reflecting depleted adaptive capacity.

PHQ-9

A nine-item self-report screening tool for depression severity scored from zero to twenty-seven, where higher scores indicate greater symptom burden and prompt further assessment.

Sleep hygiene

A set of behavioral and environmental practices, including consistent sleep-wake times and a dark cool room, that support healthy sleep quantity and quality.

Burnout components

An occupational phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism, and reduced sense of personal accomplishment, distinct from a clinical diagnosis.

Prediabetes thresholds

Blood glucose levels above normal but below diabetes, including A1c of 5.7 to 6.4 percent, fasting glucose of 100 to 125 mg/dL, or two-hour glucose of 140 to 199 mg/dL.

Diabetes Prevention Program findings

A major trial showing that modest weight loss of about seven percent through diet and 150 minutes weekly of activity sharply reduced progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes.

Ask-Advise-Refer

A brief tobacco intervention model in which the worker asks about tobacco use, advises quitting clearly, and refers the person to cessation counseling or pharmacotherapy resources.

Medication adherence

The extent to which a person takes medications as prescribed, influenced by cost, side effects, regimen complexity, beliefs, and health literacy, often estimated through refill records.

Teach-back method

A communication technique in which the learner explains information in their own words, allowing the educator to confirm understanding and correct misunderstandings.

Plain language

Writing and speaking that uses common words, short sentences, active voice, and clear organization so audiences can find, understand, and act on information quickly.

Health literacy

The degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

Absolute risk

The probability that an outcome occurs in a group over a stated period, expressed with a clear denominator such as three in one hundred people over five years.

Logic model

A visual planning tool linking inputs, activities, outputs, and short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes to show how a program is expected to work.

RE-AIM framework

An evaluation framework with five dimensions: reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance, used to assess program impact and public health potential.

Process evaluation

An evaluation focused on implementation, measuring reach, dose delivered, dose received, fidelity, and participant satisfaction rather than health outcomes.

CHW scope of practice

The defined set of duties a community health worker may perform, typically outreach, education, navigation, and advocacy, excluding diagnosis, prescribing, and clinical treatment.

Informed consent

Voluntary agreement to participate after receiving understandable information about purpose, risks, benefits, alternatives, and the right to decline or withdraw at any time.

Cultural humility

A lifelong process of self-reflection, openness to learning from others, redressing power imbalances in relationships, and holding institutions accountable for equitable care.