# Hermanas de Corazón: A Community Health Worker Initiative for improving Heart Health in Migrant Latina Farmworker Women

> **NIH NIH R01** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $779,148

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death of U.S. women with CVD mortality increasing in
reproductive-age women. Rural, migrant Latina farmworker women have significant disparities in CVD risks
and CVD morbidity and mortality during reproductive years and later in life. Social determinants of health
(SDOH) are major drivers of disparities in health risks, behaviors, and outcomes across the lifespan. Migrant
Latina farmworker women have multiple adverse SDOH and unmet social needs, compounding their CVD risk
and cardiovascular health (CVH). The long-term goal of this project is to mitigate adverse SDOH of rural,
migrant Latina farmworkers and to improve their CVH, thus decreasing their disparate CVD morbidity and
mortality. The objective of this proposal is to bring an evidence-based approach to promoting
cardiometabolic health, i.e., peer support, combined with interventions to reduce unmet social needs and
mitigate adverse SDOH to this high-risk population. The scientific premise of this proposal is that addressing
SDOH-related needs is an essential component of a CVD reduction intervention to improve equity in rural,
marginalized populations. The proposed work will leverage a 31-yearlong community partnership, the Farm
Worker Family Health Program in southwest Georgia to evaluate effectiveness and implementation of a
community health worker/promotora (CHW/P)-led peer support and community resource navigation
intervention (Hermanas de Corazón), build capacity of Latina CHWs, and strengthen partnerships among
community stakeholders. The specific aims of this hybrid type-I effectiveness-implementation trial are: 1)
assess the effectiveness of the Hermanas de Corazón intervention in a) decreasing stress, social isolation, and
psychological distress and increasing perceived social support and access to SDOH-related resources, b)
decreasing cardiometabolic risk factors in this population determined by the American Heart Association Life’s
Essential 8; 2) examine potential mediation effects among these variables, and 3) evaluate barriers and
facilitators to implementation and implementation outcomes. This innovative study includes SDOH
assessment and intervention in a CVD prevention intervention, recognizes the high trauma exposure in this
population and incorporates trauma-informed care in the intervention. The proposed work is significant
because it targets a population of women that is Understudied, Underrepresented, and Underreported in
biomedical research and that has significant health disparities and adverse SDOH. The expected outcome is
an understanding of the potential mediating effect of addressing unmet social needs and adverse SDOH to
improve health. This work will have positive impact in that it will advance the science of effective interventions
and test implementation approaches to address social inequities and health disparities in this rural, migrant
Latina farmworker population.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11091771
- **Project number:** 1R01NR021664-01
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Erin Poe Ferranti
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $779,148
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-19 → 2029-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11091771

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11091771, Hermanas de Corazón: A Community Health Worker Initiative for improving Heart Health in Migrant Latina Farmworker Women (1R01NR021664-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11091771. Licensed CC0.

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