Navigating double burden: Community health workers in rural Dominican Republic living and working through the epidemiologic transition.

ABSTRACT: The epidemiological transition postulates that over time, the burden of infectious disease declines and is replaced with non-communicable diseases (NCD). Community health workers (CHW) work on prevention and treatment of infectious and NCD in low-resource settings in the context of health transitions. We explored CHWs' experiences working through the epidemiologic transition in rural Dominican Republic and how the transition impacted their roles and communities. We conducted two semi-structured interviews each with eight CHWs. We analyzed interviews using narrative summaries and thematic coding. CHWs described themselves as change makers that drove health improvements, including child mortality reductions and advancements in social determinants of health. However, more than a transition fr

SUBMITTER: Armora Langoni EG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12040154 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature