In this SBIR Phase I submission, KDH Research & Communication (KDHRC) proposes todevelop and evaluate Guardians Receiving Information through Navigators (GRIN). GRIN is aculturally competent, online professional development course to prepare community healthworkers (CHWs) to provide oral health outreach to low-income Black guardians of children andadolescents. GRIN aims to increase CHWs' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs, perceived self-efficacy, and intentions to conduct oral health outreach to Black guardians. Tooth decay, especially when untreated, creates lasting and substantial physicalconsequences for children and adolescents. Minority and low-income populations havedisproportionately high rates of tooth decay and related consequences. Compared to non-Hispanic White children, Black children are less likely to receive preventive dental visits, andexperience more untreated tooth decay. Moreover, children living in poverty are twice as likelyas children not living in poverty to experience primary tooth decay. Because of such childhoodoral health disparities, GRIN will equip CHWs - who are uniquely positioned to provide high-impact outreach to minority and low-income populations - with the knowledge and skills todeliver culturally appropriate tooth decay prevention and oral health outreach to low-incomeBlack guardians of children and adolescents from ages 0-18. In Phase I, we will develop the GRIN prototype with feedback from a steering committee topromote alignment with CHW best practices and the needs of the Black community, and ensurethe prototype contains scientifically accurate information. We will evaluate the GRIN prototypein a randomized, two-group study that empirically assesses knowledge, attitudes and beliefs,self-efficacy, and intentions change after exposure to the GRIN prototype. The Phase I project will prepare us for Phase II expansion and a rigorous randomizedcontrolled trial. When complete, GRIN will be rooted in KDHRC's vast experience andconnections with CHW leadership and organizations and be marketed through KDHRC's robustsales system that uses email and interpersonal outreach to promote and support adoption of oursuite of CHW/promotores training programs. GRIN will intervene at a critical point in history to address extant dental health disparitiesthat are likely to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. As an online training on dentalcare to increase CHW competencies in both in-person and virtual outreach to Black guardians,GRIN can strive for the highest possible impact on reducing oral health disparities.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Primary tooth decay predicts lifelong oral health issues, and when left untreated, may produce
pain, infection, and destruction of teeth and surrounding tissue, and myriad economic and
social ramifications. Black youth in low-income households are at substantially greater risk for
poor oral health outcomes. We will build and test a culturally competent, online professional
development course to prepare community health workers (CHWs) to provide oral health
outreach to low-income Black guardians of children and adolescents to build knowledge about
oral health care and oral health resources, including how to navigate the oral health care system
to improve oral health across the lifespan.
Project Terms: Adoption ; Age ; ages ; Architecture ; Engineering / Architecture ; Attitude ; Belief ; Child ; 0-11 years old ; Child Youth ; Children (0-21) ; youngster ; Chronic Disease ; Chronic Illness ; chronic disorder ; Client ; Communities ; Community Health Aides ; community health worker ; E-learning ; computer-assisted instruction ; computer-based education ; computer-based instruction ; computer-based learning ; computer-based training ; digital education ; digital learning ; eLearning ; electronic learning ; internet-assisted education ; internet-based training ; multimedia learning ; on-line education ; on-line learning ; online education ; online learning ; technology-enhanced learning ; virtual learning ; web-based instruction ; web-based training ; Dental Care ; Dental Procedure ; dental service ; Dental caries ; Caries ; Dental Decay ; tooth decay ; Economics ; Electronic Mail ; E-Mail ; Email ; electronic communication ; Feasibility Studies ; Feedback ; Goals ; Health ; Healthcare Systems ; Health Care Systems ; Health Resources ; Recording of previous events ; History ; Household ; Human ; Modern Man ; Infection ; Leadership ; Learning ; Longevity ; Length of Life ; life span ; lifespan ; Low Income Population ; Minority Groups ; Minority People ; Minority Population ; Persons ; Oral health ; dental health ; Pain ; Painful ; Poverty ; Impoverished ; Production ; Public Health ; Research ; Resources ; Research Resources ; Risk ; Sales ; Testing ; Time ; Tissues ; Body Tissues ; Tooth structure ; Tooth ; teeth ; deciduous tooth ; Primary Tooth ; Temporary Tooth ; Training Programs ; Measures ; Caregivers ; Care Givers ; Competence ; Healthcare ; health care ; Youth ; Youth 10-21 ; Intention ; improved ; Left ; Area ; Solid ; Phase ; Adolescent ; Adolescent Youth ; juvenile ; juvenile human ; Ensure ; Evaluation ; Training ; Dental ; Childhood ; pediatric ; Individual ; Licensing ; satisfaction ; Plant Roots ; root ; Randomized Controlled Trials ; Exposure to ; Contracting Opportunities ; Contracts ; Knowledge ; Pattern ; System ; Best Practice Analysis ; Benchmarking ; psychosocial ; behavior change ; Visit ; American ; experience ; Self Efficacy ; skills ; culturally competent ; cultural competence ; outreach ; Prevention ; Reporting ; social ; Position ; Positioning Attribute ; Intervention Strategies ; interventional strategy ; Intervention ; disparity in health ; health disparity ; Effectiveness ; Low income ; Address ; Preventive ; randomisation ; randomization ; randomly assigned ; Randomized ; Resource Development ; Communication Research ; Not Hispanic or Latino ; Non-Hispanic ; Nonhispanic ; Small Business Innovation Research Grant ; SBIR ; Small Business Innovation Research ; Text ; cost ; virtual ; design ; designing ; Minority ; Outcome ; cost effective ; Prevalence ; innovation ; innovate ; innovative ; prototype ; commercialization ; evidence base ; hands-on learning ; applied learning ; interactive engagement ; interactive learning ; Course Content ; course curriculum ; course development ; class development ; course material development ; course module ; class module ; online community ; on-line community ; virtual community ; education resources ; educational resources ; COVID-19 pandemic ; COVID crisis ; COVID epidemic ; COVID pandemic ; COVID-19 crisis ; COVID-19 epidemic ; COVID-19 global health crisis ; COVID-19 global pandemic ; COVID-19 health crisis ; COVID-19 public health crisis ; COVID19 crisis ; COVID19 epidemic ; COVID19 global health crisis ; COVID19 global pandemic ; COVID19 health crisis ; COVID19 pandemic ; COVID19 public health crisis ; SARS-CoV-2 epidemic ; SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis ; SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic ; SARS-CoV-2 pandemic ; SARS-CoV2 epidemic ; SARS-CoV2 pandemic ; SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic ; SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic ; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic ; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic ; corona virus disease 2019 epidemic ; corona virus disease 2019 pandemic ; coronavirus disease 2019 crisis ; coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic ; coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis ; coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic ; coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis ; coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic ; coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis ; coronavirus disease crisis ; coronavirus disease epidemic ; coronavirus disease pandemic ; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis ; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic ;
