Reshaping Fotonovelas in a Cultural Competent Healthcare System
Satizábal, Beatríz Eugenía (Mafla)
:
2018-04-04
Abstract
The Hispanic immigrant population of the United States is rapidly growing. The need for accessing adequate healthcare services has led the healthcare system to utilize community navigators and fotonovelas as tools for dissemination of health knowledge and resources in Hispanic communities. Fotonovelas are health literacy tools that have been adapted and used to increase low health literacy rates and access to care, specifically among low income, monolingual Spanish speaking communities. A literature review was conducted to investigate the purpose of community navigators and the use and distribution of fotonovelas. Organizations such as the Center for Disease Control and the Rural Women’s Health Project have developed fotonovelas with a “one size fits all” perspective, while studies utilizing community based participatory research have collaborated with Hispanic community members for the development, drafting, and distribution of fotonovelas tailored to their community. The lack of studies measuring the efficacy and long-term use of fotonovelas suggests the need to further research the efficacy and the reach of fotonovelas after their distribution. As a health literacy tool, fotonovelas must be tailored to the needs of Hispanic communities and used in other diverse mediums such as websites and social media.