Community Health Champions (CHCs) are lay people recruited from communities who are trained in health promotion and community leadership skills to deliver health messages to their friends, family, colleagues and community members. CHCs are people who voluntarily bring their life experience and their ability to relate to people to promote health in different communities.
The CHC model is based on a community empowerment approach which is beneficial for social cohesion, social capital and strengthening relationships and trust among participants (Woodall et al., 2010).
The CHC model is based on a community empowerment approach which is beneficial for social cohesion, social capital and strengthening relationships and trust among participants (Woodall et al., 2010).
Within their families, communities and workplaces they empower people to have healthier lives by raising awareness of health and healthy choices, sharing health messages, removing barriers and creating supportive networks and environments.
Across Yorkshire and Humber, Community Health Champions provide a range of roles including:
- Talking to people informally as part of their daily lives
- Providing more intensive support to individuals
- Partaking in or organising/leading activities, groups or events
Community health champions are involved in a wide range of activities including:
- leading health walks
- working in allotment and food growing initiatives
- setting up social clubs and sports activities
- delivering health awareness presentations on chronic conditions
- signposting people to local services
- establishing fruit ‘tuck shops’ in local schools
- administering healthy heart check questionnaires
Read more about Community Health Champions in our Thematic Evaluation Summary and Evidence Review produced by the Centre for Health Promotion Research, Leeds Metropolitan University.
Click below to view our Community Health Champions Film:
